In the days that followed, Xie Jingci spent most of her time recovering.
Her old ailment had not yet healed, and she had suffered new injuries in the Ghost Realm. The Xie couple, famously doting on their daughter, had gathered a large pile of medicinal ingredients for her—expensive ones, regardless of whether they were useful or not.
During her spare time, she led Pei Du and Mo Xiaoyang around Yunjing City.
Neither of them was from Yunjing, especially Mo Xiaoyang. Upon seeing the capital's bustling prosperity for the first time, he was so excited that he hopped while walking, looking like he could make a guest appearance in a zombie movie.
Time flew by, and soon it was the day the Inquiry Conference began.
Unlike traditional dharma assemblies, the Inquiry Conference did not require flying around on swords or airships. One only needed to enter the Xuanwu Realm with their spiritual sense to connect with cultivators from all over the continent.
It was somewhat similar to what some minor worlds called the "internet"—both were about connecting across thousands of miles.
Among cultivators, the gap between different cultivation stages was insurmountable. For the sake of fairness, the Inquiry Conference set up different brackets for Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and even Soul Transformation cultivators, with no interference between them.
"This is my first time participating in such a grand competition."
Mo Xiaoyang was very excited: "It's bound to be an eye-opener!"
He had finally used an idiom correctly. Xie Jingci gave him a mental thumbs-up.
Like Xie Jingci, Meng Xiaoting had been slaving away at the academy before, with no free time to participate in such competitions. Now that she finally had the chance, she was equally ambitious: "I heard the rules of each Inquiry Conference are very interesting. I wonder what this year's will be like."
After saying this, she remembered something, her eyes shifting as she lowered her voice: "By the way, Cici, I heard the two young masters from the Pei family will also be participating in this competition."
Pei Yu and Pei Mingchuan.
Utterly useless, both of them.
Pei Yu was much older than her and Pei Du, yet he was still stuck at the peak of the Golden Core stage; Pei Mingchuan's Golden Core was built up with miraculous pills and medicines—a typical case of outward strength masking inner weakness.
It was said that Pei Yu was the champion of the Golden Core stage in the last Inquiry Conference. He was undoubtedly determined to win first place again this time.
Let's see if he can snatch it.
The Inquiry Conference did not have too many formalities. As long as one entered the illusion realm within the specified time, they were considered participants.
Given Pei Du's somewhat awkward status now, to avoid making him feel embarrassed, Xie Jingci deliberately chose to arrive at the illusion realm's entrance at the very last moment.
The vast majority of people had already entered the Inquiry Conference. A few scattered individuals waiting by the entrance showed surprised expressions upon seeing her and Pei Du.
These two—one who had been in a coma for a whole year and suddenly woke up, and the other who was expelled from his family and rumored to be harboring ill intentions, colluding with evil demons—shared another commonality besides being "tragic."
Xie Jingci's spiritual sense was damaged, while Pei Du's meridians were severed and his cultivation lost. Whichever one, their strength should be far from what it used to be.
A real-life version of fallen prodigies—quite a few people were eager to watch the drama unfold.
Xie Jingci paid no extra attention and walked straight through the entrance.
The first sensation upon entering the illusion realm: cold, dark, both cold and dark.
Second sensation: Could this be "Ice Age: Cultivation Edition"?
Along with the biting chill, a string of text appeared in her mind.
[Welcome to the Inquiry Conference.
This competition's rule: Collect fear points from the demons and monsters within the illusion realm. Methods are unrestricted. The one with the highest value wins.
Others: None.]
Flipping to another page, there was a prominent line: [Your current fear points collected: 0.]
...Fear points?
To make demons and monsters feel fear, the best way should be to hunt them down.
As for the "methods unrestricted" mentioned in the rules... could it be understood that torture, kidnapping, and other even more extreme methods were all permitted?
Truly the legendary Inquiry Conference, so free.
Who knows what tricks others might come up with.
After reading the rules, the scene before Xie Jingci's eyes suddenly brightened.
She saw snow.
Boundless, rampant snow covered one towering slope after another. Each cultivator would be randomly dropped into various corners of the map. The place she was in now was likely high up in the snowy mountains.
Even with spiritual power protecting her body, due to her damaged cultivation, Xie Jingci couldn't help shivering from the cold.
As far as the eye could see, everything was white. The north wind wove together snow mist cascading down like a silver river. Amid the vast expanse of white, the sound of the wind covered everything like a dragon's roar—
The gale was so fierce, like a giant wave on the sea, it nearly knocked her flat. Before Xie Jingci could see more, a force from behind swiftly pulled her backward.
When that force vanished, the violent wind enveloping her also diminished greatly.
She had been pulled into a cave.
The cave could accommodate at most three people. The entrance was a narrow, straight slit, slanting to the left, just enough to avoid the biting wind.
As for the person who pulled her in—
Xie Jingci turned back in surprise and saw a face all too familiar.
Xie Jingci couldn't hide her astonishment: "Pei Du?!"
Hopeless, doomed.
He was the target for her character act, and even with random drops all over the illusion realm map, the first person she saw was still him. What kind of cursed fate was this? Absolutely terrifying.
"Miss Xie."
The young man's gaze fell on her cheeks and ears, red from the cold, and he slightly frowned: "The gale here is fierce. Perhaps it would be better to wait for the wind to calm before venturing out to explore."
He paused, ultimately unable to hold back: "Are you cold?"
Xie Jingci, naturally stubborn about saving face, flatly denied it: "No."
There was no telling when the violent wind would stop. Bored from waiting, she simply found a corner to sit down, looking up at him: "What do you think of this round's rules?"
Pei Du replied quickly: "The Inquiry Conference wants us to slaughter more demons and monsters... even torture them."
The fear released at the moment near death was undoubtedly immense.
But death was, after all, only a fleeting instant. Once a demon or monster lost its life, it had no more value. Compared to that, "torture" was completely different.
It was a form of sustained, prolonged harm. The confusion about an unknown fate could often become a major source of fear.
Seeing her resting her chin in thought, Pei Du hesitated for a moment, then walked over and sat down beside Xie Jingci, leaving a small gap, carefully.
Both mass slaughter and malicious torture were ideas everyone could think of. Moreover, being too simple and crude, she didn't like them.
Other than that... were there any other methods?
[If you don't do that, are you planning to conquer them with the power of being a 'green tea' girl?]
Just as she was deep in thought, she abruptly heard a voice in her ear: [Congratulations, host, for triggering a new scene. The top priority now is to check your character setting!]
Xie Jingci was genuinely worried that one day, while fighting monsters above her level, the system would make her act cute and go "nyan nyan" to the ultimate boss.
...That would still be better than acting cute and going "nyan nyan" to Pei Du.
The scenes within the Xuanwu Realm could be projected to the outside world. To protect privacy, cultivators could choose to block it themselves. Before delivering that line, she quickly cut off the cave's connection to the outside world.
Pei Du had remained silent all along.
Before Miss Xie beside him could speak, he remained quiet and still, not disturbing her thoughts, until Xie Jingci shifted slightly and suddenly said crisply, "It's so cold."
As she spoke, she blew a puff of warm breath onto her hands. The white mist flowed like water, slowly settling into her delicate, lily-white palms. "My hands are frozen stiff... This weather is truly dreadful, don't you think?"
Pei Du saw her turn her head, her eyes holding a hint of a smile as she stared unblinkingly at him.
As for those hands, reddened from the cold, Xie Jingci held them up before him with an utterly innocent expression, her fingers curling slightly. "Look, the fingertips are all red... Your hands must be much warmer, right? How enviable."
Her actions were like a subtle hint, or a rope tied around him, needing only a gentle tug to make him follow irresistibly forward.
Pei Du's heart was suspended mid-air, tightening faintly.
And indeed, he acted accordingly.
The cave was narrow and cramped, and because the distance between the two was exceptionally close, when he reached out his hand, he easily touched Xie Jingci's palm.
"Miss Xie."
His touch was light, merely covering her palm with his fingertips, before he spoke hesitantly, "Is it alright... to continue?"
Xie Jingci did not answer.
Her character setting did not allow her to refuse, even though she was screaming ten thousand times in her heart: "Pei Du, you idiot! How did you take the bait so quickly!"
Idiot Pei Du: "My apologies."
Their body temperatures were both chilly. When the young man's thumb, bearing a thin callus, traced the lines of her palm, Xie Jingci shivered quite shamelessly.
It tickled too much.
Although the cultivation world didn't pay much heed to boundaries between men and women, touching a girl's hand like this—
Somehow, a thought suddenly flashed through her heart: if it were another woman with Pei Du in this cave, would he also reach out to touch her hand so decisively?
No.
Whose hand he was willing to touch had absolutely nothing to do with her. Why was she wasting time here, letting her mind run wild?
Right in this moment of distraction, her entire right hand was gently enveloped within Pei Du's palm.
She had to admit, likely because his cultivation level was higher, the chill in his hand was much less than Xie Jingci's. Moreover, a man's palm was broader; when it firmly covered hers, it felt warm, soft, and incredibly comforting.
Unexpectedly and exceptionally comfortable.
Xie Jingci resisted the impulse to forcefully burrow her whole hand deeper inside. That would only make her think of an utterly unreserved little pig lunging for food.
"Is this... better?"
Pei Du's voice sounded a bit stiff.
He had actually, so openly, taken hold of Miss Xie's hand.
It felt as if a heavily beating drum was placed in his chest. He tried his utmost to calm his emotions so as not to show overly obvious nervousness and delight on his face.
A young lady's hand was as soft as water, cool to the touch, as if with a gentle squeeze, it would sink in softly all over.
He dared not overstep, only applying more pressure with his thumb, holding it tighter.
The feeling of skin pressed so closely against skin was strange. Xie Jingci felt the strength in his hand and lowered her head uncomfortably.
It must be because Pei Du's palm was too warm, that's why she felt a flustered heat rising in her chest.
This atmosphere was awkward enough as it was.
Yet, another ding-dong sounded in her mind, followed by the system's gleeful voice: [Stage One completed. Congratulations on unlocking Stage Two!]
Xie Jingci felt her scalp go numb, nearly jumping to her feet: "What Stage One, Stage Two? I'm warning you, don't mess around, you rotten syste— Daddy!"
[There's nothing to be done about this. I can't control it either.]
The system's tone was innocent: [You're quite the seasoned 'green tea' yourself. You should know that when a 'green tea' flirts, it never stops at just one line, right? If Pei Du had chosen to refuse from the very beginning, Stage Two wouldn't have been triggered. But since you two are already like this— ahem, you understand. Good luck.]
No!!! She didn't want to understand!!!
And that "good luck"...
You might as well say "try to survive"!!!
Xie Jingci's inner world was slightly crumbling.
When she saw the lines and actions provided by the system, "slightly crumbling" turned into "an epic, heaven-shattering, earth-rending collapse."
Pei Du noticed Miss Xie's odd expression and felt a pang of panic in his heart.
Miss Xie had always disliked being touched by men, usually maintaining distance from all male cultivators around her.
If his abrupt act of holding her hand provoked her disgust—
Before this thought could fully form, the hand Xie Jingci had in his grasp suddenly moved.
However, she did not pull away. Instead, she exerted a slight force with her arm, drawing her right hand closer to herself.
Pei Du's palm remained connected to hers, thus following directly to a spot in the air, close at hand before her.
He felt Xie Jingci's direct gaze, flowing entirely over the back of his hand and between his fingers.
"This is the first time I've ever had my hand held by a man like this."
After saying this, she lifted her lips in a smile. Her voice carried the coolness of ice and snow, spoken slowly and gently, as if it could seep into the depths of one's heart through the ears.
Miss Xie was... experiencing this for the first time.
Pei Du pressed his lips together, listening as she continued, "So this is what a man's hand looks like. I've never really looked closely before."
As the words left her mouth, she leisurely raised her free left hand.
Her icy index finger traced across the back of his hand.
Pei Du's spine stiffened abruptly.
"Is it because the bone structure is larger?"
Her index finger applied extremely light pressure. Wherever it passed, it left a ticklish numbness—sometimes like a dragonfly skimming water, other times suddenly pressing down to feel the bones beneath the thin layer of skin and flesh. "Young Master Pei's skin seems quite similar to mine."
Xie Jingci let out a soft laugh. "I always thought men felt rough all over. I didn't expect Young Master Pei to feel... quite pleasant to the touch."
Xie Jingci internally: Damn.
Damn!!! What kind of devilish lines are these? This 'green tea' must be expired, right? It has to be expired 'green tea,' right?! What does "quite pleasant to the touch" even mean? Was that necessary? Couldn't she be a bit more reserved?!
Back during Stage One, when luring Pei Du to hold her right hand, Xie Jingci had pondered very seriously.
Leaving aside the possibility that he might refuse or not understand the implication, sitting there dumbly like a statue, even if Pei Du did respond, it was just holding hands. She was an adult; could holding hands possibly make her ascend to heaven on the spot?
Sorry, please forgive her, Heaven, for being such a narrow-minded and foolish human.
Xie Jingci truly hadn't expected that simply holding hands could evoke such thrilling sensations. It seemed like a mere taste on the surface, but underneath, undercurrents were swirling, disturbing her mind and unsettling her heart.
And to make matters worse, the movements of her hand had to continue.
Her index finger moved downward, touching a raised callus.
"Did this form from practicing swordplay?"
Xie Jingci lowered her eyelashes slightly, her fingertip making a clockwise circle over it. "Haven't you used any ointment?"
The cultivation world was full of miraculous pills and medicines; getting rid of sword calluses wasn't difficult.
Like her, she had always taken meticulous care, so her hands remained soft as congealed fat, without a trace of calluses or scars.
Pei Du only gave a low "Mmm."
Miss Xie's touch was, without a doubt, a kind of heart-clawing, lung-scraping torment for him.
The physical contact between them was intensely ambiguous, yet she wore an expression of pure curiosity, clearly not overthinking it. So he could only endure in silence, letting his entire body tense up rigidly, his ears burning hot on their own accord.
"I once heard a saying," Xie Jingci said. "The two best ways to see through someone at first glance are to observe their hands and—do you know the other place?"
His mind was already a complete blank, how would he know the answer.
Noticing Pei Du's dazed confusion, the girl in red chuckled softly, moving her left hand away from the back of his hand.
She gently poked the side of his face, just in front of his ear.
Pei Du couldn't even attempt to hide his reaction; like a cat with its fur standing on end, his pupils contracted sharply.
"It's the face."
The finger resting on his cheek didn't pull away. Instead, it slowly slid downward, carrying a hint of novelty.
"Many details on the face can reflect a person's traits, like wrinkles, scars, skin texture, complexion—"
Xie Jingci paused.
Her laughter was light, her voice soft and gentle, sounding amidst the howling cold wind outside the cave, making Pei Du hold his breath involuntarily: "Young Master Pei's complexion... was it this red before?"
Just because of this one sentence, the fire within him instantly exploded.
Xie Jingci: ...
Xie Jingci: Help, help! How could his face not be red! She was simply a shameless, unscrupulous, wicked female rogue, the kind who deserved to be ended by Pei Du's sword!
She began to feel grateful that she had severed this place's connection to the outside world earlier.
If tens of thousands of people in the cultivation world saw this scene, Xie Jingci would surely die of shame and humiliation.
"Speaking of which... the skin on the face is also very soft, truly unexpected."
Pei Du was much taller than her, so Xie Jingci could only tilt her head up, revealing a pair of bright, sparkling eyes brimming with laughter.
Her fingertips sent waves of electric currents, gnawing heavily at his nerves.
Pei Du heard Miss Xie say: "How strange. Is it that all men in the world are like this, or is Young Master Pei different from them, that it feels this way to touch?"
Her gaze was utterly unconcealed, leaving Pei Du with nowhere to hide.
He both craved this moment of tenderness and worried he couldn't control himself, that he might do something improper towards her. After a long silence, he finally said in a hoarse voice, "Miss Xie, I—"
"Ah, I'm sorry!"
Xie Jingci seemed to realize something, hurriedly widening her eyes, moving her hand away from his face, wearing an expression of utter remorse: "Forgive me, I... I got carried away in the moment, I didn't consider propriety between men and women... Young Master Pei, did I make you unhappy?"
So it really was just an unintentional act on her part. Pei Du laughed mockingly in his heart.
How could someone like Miss Xie, so far out of reach, possibly lower herself to deliberately tease him.
...But perhaps this was for the best.
Only this way could he get some chance to be close to her.
That cup of expired, gutter-oil green tea was ultimately swallowed by Xie Jingci, albeit with great difficulty.
The moment Pei Du showed signs of rejection, this act would come to an end, finally allowing her to breathe a proper sigh of relief.
All of this was predicated on the system not making that damned ding sound again.
As it turned out, Xie Jingci's luck really wasn't very good.
She had just finished a grueling battle comparable to the Long March, and before she could even "breathe a proper sigh of relief," she heard that all-too-familiar voice.
[Spatial-temporal plane disturbance detected, warning! Character setting collapse in progress. Randomly matching a new setting for the host... Warning!]
Xie Jingci felt that her expression at that moment must have been terrible.
Otherwise, Pei Du wouldn't have suddenly asked her: "Miss Xie, are you feeling unwell?"
What could she do? She could only shake her head with a look as if she was heading to a funeral.
Just moments later, Xie Jingci saw two large words gradually floating up in her mind.
[Tyrant].
Followed by a long, incomprehensible, and utterly bizarre synopsis:
[She, is the decisive, fierce, and valiant ruler; he, is the gentle, refined, and scholarly young master from a noble family. A chance encounter, whose galloping hooves did it disrupt, and whose forced possession did it create?
"If you can't cure him, I want all the imperial physicians to accompany him in death," is her domineering declaration; "Beg me and I'll give it to you," is the stubbornness she upholds for a lifetime.
Fear to love too deeply, lest it be but a grand dream. How can I distinguish the love and hate I receive; how can I forget the pain and sorrow you give?]
This is seriously so messed up.
Xie Jingci wanted to die.
The arrival of a new persona always came with unexpected surprises. She expressionlessly shifted her gaze downward and saw a line of dialogue that had quietly appeared.
Great, it perfectly suited the current context, as expected.
"Miss Xie."
Pei Du's voice came low. Hearing it, she looked up and met his deep, dark eyes: "Your left hand... does it need warming too?"
Wow, this person really knows how to push his luck.
Xie Jingci snorted coldly and stretched her paw towards him: "Thanks."
He seemed to smile slightly, enveloping both her hands in his.
"About what happened earlier, don't overthink it, and definitely don't get any ideas."
Xie Jingci spoke while glancing at the persona lines floating in her mind, forcefully suppressing the urge to stab herself in the chest with a knife: "At best, you're just a... a bed-warming tool for me, got it?"
What kind of nonsense is this now!
Xie Jingci was cringing so hard her toes were digging into the ground, the little person in her heart contorted in agony, desperately banging against a wall.
She only hoped that once Pei Du left the Xuanwu Realm this time, he wouldn't go around widely proclaiming that Miss Xie was a rather peculiar weirdo.
The aura surrounding Pei Du indeed seemed to freeze.
Not daring to look into his eyes, she tried to remedy the situation in a somewhat flustered manner: "To be precise, it's not a bed-warming device; it should be... a hand-war—"
The last character "bao" (treasure/tool) got stuck in her throat.
The hands belonging to Pei Du that were covering the back of her hands suddenly let go.
What followed was a gust of wind sweeping from behind.
When her body was pulled lightly and she lost control, falling forward, countless thoughts flashed densely through Xie Jingci's mind.
What is he doing.
She's falling forward.
Wait... why is Pei Du's body getting closer and closer?
Finally, the conclusion arrived belatedly: She had been pulled entirely into Pei Du's embrace.
Wealthy young masters often carried the scent of expensive fragrances, but the scent on Pei Du was as fresh as a forest after rain, like a beam of sunlight filtering through the gaps in leaves, carrying a heart-warming warmth.
It was a very warm feeling, as if her whole body was wrapped in steaming heat, sweeping away all the cold.
Xie Jingci's face was forced against his chest, where she could clearly feel the young man's rapid, pounding heartbeat.
Then Pei Du reached out, his palm carefully covering her back.
She felt an inexplicable tingling numbness, but didn't dare to move.
"Bed-warming involves more than just warming hands, Miss Xie."
Pei Du's voice sounded from above her head, its tone unreadable. When he spoke, his chest vibrated slightly against her: "...There is no bed here. I can only trouble you, Miss, by using this tool for warmth instead."
Just listen to this hogwash.
If her head wasn't being pressed against his chest, Xie Jingci would have really wanted to glare at him fiercely.
Was this something the aloof and noble Young Master Pei would say? Shouldn't he righteously refuse, then add a line like "Miss Xie, men and women should not touch hands" just like that virtuous Liu Xiahui?
Xie Jingci clearly remembered that many noble young ladies had complained to her before—he was simply an impenetrable block of wood, utterly unmovable no matter how they tried to flirt. They exhausted all their schemes, only to earn a single "Please respect yourself" in return.
So what was going on with him now? Was he using this method to make her shy, to get back at her for her previous expired "green tea" antics?
Truly her worthy rival, a match for her in every way. It's just a shame he wouldn't get his wish.
Although she was indeed blushing, her heart racing, and her whole body feeling warm, these were all normal physiological reactions. Matters of human physiological phenomena—could they be called shyness?
Xie Jingci authoritatively declared, unilaterally, that they could not.
Feeling no struggle from the person in his arms, Pei Du secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The moment Miss Xie was pulled into his embrace, his entire being had been stunned.
That action was truly born of uncontrollable emotion, using up almost all the courage he possessed. After all, this was the only chance he had to hold her with a plausible excuse.
Even if Miss Xie indignantly broke free, he could explain it was for warmth, to ward off the cold.
Yet, she remained unexpectedly quiet.
The young woman in his arms was a small, compact presence. With each breath Miss Xie took, warmth would pass through their clothing, seeping directly into his chest.
His heartbeat must be terribly fast, laid completely bare for her to hear.
This made Pei Du feel somewhat ashamed, as if the secrets hidden in his heart were being displayed before her eyes one by one. No matter what, Miss Xie was bound to realize he was nervous.
How could he not be nervous?
This was the person he had yearned for, dreamed of, for so many years—someone he once considered even a single meeting with to be a distant hope.
Suddenly, the girl in his arms shifted slightly.
Pei Du instinctively thought she wanted to break free and was about to loosen his hold when he heard Miss Xie speak, her voice muffled.
Her exhalations all landed on his chest, then seeped gradually inward through his body, like a feather tickling his heart.
Xie Jingci said in a very small voice, "Tighter. It's cold."
Pei Du: "..."
Pei Du felt the roots of his ears burning. He tightened his arms a little, striving to suppress the tremor in his voice: "...Like this?"
