The two had just left when, only a few hours later, they crossed the boundary of Yun Manor and stepped into the Qianren Peak Forest.
Swoosh!
A streak of icy blue light rushed in from the east, arriving in an instant.
The overwhelming Sword Qi tore through the Cloudsea Formation, freezing the Mountain Gate of Sighing Peak.
Crack—crash!
The sharp Sword Intent was bone-chilling cold, effortlessly piercing through the formation jointly constructed by several Outer Sect Instructors, terrifying the Protective Array Elders into scattering in fear.
Recently, the entire Academy had been thrown into chaos by those Demonic Sect Fiends who sneaked in.
Working overtime every night with no room for slack, if another mess happened, this year’s Shenhua Sect Tuition would be entirely deducted!
The Sword Qi surged into the sky, shaking the Sea of Clouds, dispersing the mist of the peak forest, unveiling the mysterious veil of the Sword Sect.
Heads of the Five Peaks were immediately alarmed, transmitting their voices across the void.
“How dare you!”
“Who dares trespass into Shenhua?”
“State your identity!”
The strange fluctuations in Spiritual Awareness were eerily familiar, chilling enough to freeze a person solid.
Everyone quickly realized who had returned and muttered curses as they quietly exited the group chat—an expression of restrained anger.
Outside the Mountain Gate, the piercing sound of air being cut echoed sharply.
The Outer Four Academies’ disciples had no idea what was happening but felt a sudden chill; even before winter, their breaths formed white mist.
Snowflakes began to fall, covering the Five Peaks in a delicate layer.
The elders rode their swords, alert and vigilant, while the Patrolling Disciples gripped their swords, preparing as if facing a formidable enemy.
A white-clad woman stepped onto the stone steps, her pace slow and graceful, frost forming and ice crystallizing wherever she walked.
She carried a single sword, a crystal-clear Sword Case on her back, and wore a Cloud Robe whiter than snow, luminous as moonlight.
Her slender frame was slender and angular, and her beautiful silver hair nearly reached her heels, simply tied with a sword-shaped wooden pin.
Her exquisite face was like a Guanghan Moon Fairy come to life.
The expressions on everyone’s faces instantly shifted to something very complicated, corners of their mouths twitching.
One Sword Dao Class Mentor breathed a sigh of relief, silently cursing, but wore a smile on his face.
“So it’s you, Aunt Master! Really, why didn’t you give us a heads-up before coming back? You just had to give us all a ‘surprise,’ huh?”
“Wasting time, isn’t it faster to just break in directly?”
The silver-haired woman kept her eyes tightly shut, lips thin and straight, her cold expression and tone indifferent, heartbeats barely perceptible.
Unbothered by the odd looks around her, she walked straight inside.
A false alarm.
The Inner Sect disciples sheathed their swords and shouted for dispersal, not daring to raise their swords against her.
“Disperse, disperse! It’s Aunt Master back, stop staring!”
“Senior Brother, who is this lady…?”
Zhu Dachang, a newly inducted disciple, was utterly shocked.
He never imagined the sect harbored such a stunning figure, and so young, to boot.
Could she be a senior sister of the Inner Five Peaks?
“Don’t talk nonsense. She’s not someone you call ‘sister.’ She’s the Head of Tianxiang Peak, known in the martial world as the Ice Fairy, but everyone just calls her Aunt Master.”
The patrolling disciple rubbed his forehead, shaking his head.
After so many years, nothing shocked him anymore.
This disturbance was relatively minor—not even leveling a mountain.
“I’ve made up my mind. From today on, I’ll strive to join Tianxiang Peak!”
With such a teacher, how could one not study hard?
Seeing the hopeful new disciples, the Inner Sect disciples looked on with sympathy, wanting to laugh but not daring.
“Is that so? Then good luck to you, Junior Brother.”
Tianxiang Peak was no place for the faint-hearted.
Whoever went there was courting hardship.
Now, only two disciples remained, one already crippled.
At this rate, the Tianxiang Lineage would soon be extinguished by Aunt Master herself.
As she walked through the Academy courtyard, Yan Bingling did not open her eyes but tilted her head, sending her Divine Sense towards the Illusion Pavilion.
There, the Sword Dao Leader, recognized throughout the Nine Provinces, dared not show his face.
Upon sensing her arrival, he shrank back, suppressing his spiritual breath and pretending to be dead.
“Hmph!”
The white-clad woman curled her lips.
That old immortal hid here every day like a frightened turtle, sweeping floors, walking birds, reading, and slacking off—nothing but a disgrace.
A soul without the Sword Dao!
Yan Bingling, accustomed to doing as she pleased, raised her sword again, pointing it towards the Cloudsea Sword Peak, already planning to rush home to embrace Yun Liu.
Only the thought of the adorable boy left behind in the peak brought a fleeting smile to her frostbitten face—ephemeral beauty beyond compare.
She wondered if Yun Liu was behaving well alone, if he had let his studies slacken.
These days, important matters had kept her away, neglecting him. A proper compensation was definitely in order.
The little tagalong had been sent away for now; with no electric light bulbs around, Tianxiang Peak was once again just the two of them, mother and son!
Recalling the pitiful yet fortunate days when they depended on each other, Yan Bingling’s excitement was palpable, her breath quickening just from the memory.
At that moment, a green light soared from the direction of Clear Mist Peak.
A plump mature woman with a gentle smile landed before her, grabbing Yan Bingling’s hand.
Gelan had come to soothe restless spirits.
Who would have thought that just as Yun Liu and Yao Lu had left, Aunt Master would return immediately after?
Completely unprepared!
Yet the white-clad woman’s spiritual breath seemed unstable, fluctuating wildly—sometimes Nascent Soul Stage, sometimes Foundation Establishment, far from the Peak State.
Gelan asked in surprise, “Are you injured?”
Yan Bingling made no reply, her expression sour.
She had nothing to say to a cow like her!
“That won’t do. Come with me back to the Medicine Hut to recuperate!”
Head Lan of Clear Mist Peak grabbed Yan Bingling’s cold hand, intending to lead her back, but was firmly shaken off.
“No. I’m going home. Someone’s waiting for me.”
Who’s waiting for you?
Gelan panicked, blocking her again.
“Not so fast. You two haven’t seen each other in months. What’s a few days between friends?”
No, it’s not!
How could she be so patient?
A day apart felt like three autumns.
Yan Bingling couldn’t bear the wait a moment longer.
Exhausted from the trip, she just wanted to hold Yun Liu for three days straight to soothe her longing.
“Move aside!”
Yan Bingling frowned, sensing something was amiss.
“W-what’s wrong? It’s been so long since we last met. Let’s catch up a bit. Why not stay a few days at Clear Mist Hall?”
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
Gelan clapped her hands.
“Oh right, what about Ah Lian? Why didn’t she come back with you?”
“None of your business.”
“You can’t say that! That’s bad language and will corrupt the children!”
After several rounds of nagging and nonsense, Yan Bingling’s suspicion grew.
Her eyelids twitched, on the verge of opening—an open-eyed attack was coming.
“You… teaching me how to act?”
Head Lan was drenched in sweat, wailing helplessly.
The Master and Martial Uncle dared not tell Aunt Master the truth.
How could she break it?
To honestly apologize and admit to losing a beloved son?
Or confess that the foster mother despised the unmarried daughter-in-law from start to finish, secretly cursing them both to break up soon?
That would be like carrying a lantern into a latrine!
This matter required careful consideration…
Yan Bingling could no longer hold back, sweeping her Divine Sense across Tianxiang Peak and suddenly alarmed—Yun Liu was nowhere within the Five Peaks.
“Speak! Where have you hidden him?”
The Head of Tianxiang Peak’s killing intent surged, her Divine Sense firmly locking onto the shameless cow before her, who as the self-proclaimed Second Mother looked sheepish and averted her gaze.
“…Who?”
“You tell me.”
“Ah! You mean Yun Liu… He, he went down the mountain. Didn’t you know?”
Gelan blinked, unable to continue the lie.
Luckily, the two had likely gone far away by now.
Had Bingling caught her in the act, even immortals wouldn’t save her.
“Tell me where he went.”
Yan Bingling drew her sword, ready to ride the sword air and give chase.
Without Yun Liu, how could she call it home?
Who’d want to stay alone on Tianxiang Peak?
“How would I know! I told you to calm down. He’ll be back in a few days.”
“Really?”
The white-clad woman fell silent, a restless feeling gnawing at her heart.
This cow was definitely hiding something.
“Really!”
“Alright. If I don’t see him in three days, or if I catch you lying, I’ll slice off those two lumps of excess flesh on your chest and help you lose weight!”
“Ah? What does that have to do with me?!”
Yan Bingling sprang up, flying toward Tianxiang Peak to investigate, not missing a single clue!
Gelan frowned, clutching her beloved treasure.
After following me for so long, you two have suffered enough.
If nothing unexpected happens, it’s probably time to say goodbye.
It’s over, all over. I wanted to make the situation irreversible, but I didn’t expect Bingling’s return to be so sudden, ruining all plans.
“Yun Liu, Yao Lu, I can only help you this far. From here on, it’s up to you.”
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