“Boom—”
Snow flew into the air from the snowdrift.
Ji Zhaoxi felt the world spin. By the time she realized what had happened, she was sprawled firmly across Wen Shubai’s chest.
One of his arms was wrapped around her waist, while the other protected the back of her head. Both of them were breathing a little heavily.
He lay motionless in the snow, gazing at her cheeks, reddened slightly by the cold. Unable to hold back, he let out a laugh. Snow clung to his eyelashes, and as he laughed, it fell away in little flurries.
Ji Zhaoxi stared blankly at him, her heart pounding.
Unable to resist, she leaned down and kissed him on the lips. Then she drew a deep breath and looked at him earnestly, her little face taut with seriousness.
“Senior Brother, if the Sect Leader won’t let you stay in the Tianjue Sect, would you be willing to come home with me and raise pigs?”
“Come home with me and raise pigs. My parents have only one daughter—me—so they’ll definitely pass down our ancestral butcher’s knife to me. We’ll be rich someday.”
After saying this, Ji Zhaoxi wore an expression of utmost solemnity.
She didn’t want Senior Brother to leave. She wanted him to stay by her side for the rest of her life.
Wen Shubai froze for a moment. In those usually cool, distant eyes, it was as if the stars had exploded all at once. His lashes trembled, and the tenderness in his gaze seemed ready to spill over.
Before Ji Zhaoxi could react, a cool kiss landed on her lips. He couldn’t resist pecking her lips a few more times.
Wen Shubai held her tightly, burying his chin against her shoulder. His voice was hoarse.
“Thank you, Junior Sister.”
His voice scattered into the snow. Ji Zhaoxi felt a faint ache in her heart. The snow-covered mountain was utterly quiet, with only the warmth of their bodies slowly spreading through the cold.
Senior Brother was always saying things that made her heart ache like this…
The two of them lingered in the snow for quite some time before Wen Shubai finally tucked Ji Zhaoxi inside his cloak and carried her back to the wooden cabin.
The cabin was no longer the same as before. He had gone down the mountain and bought several thick, soft quilts, and the stove was kept burning all day long. The moment one entered, a wave of warmth could be felt.
The weather grew colder and colder. The clouds atop Tianjue Sect’s summit seemed frozen in place, but down at the foot of the mountain, the chill had eased considerably.
Although there was still some time before the New Year, the mortal world had already begun to stir. Looking down from the mountain peaks, the villages were no longer simply white. They were tinged with brilliant red.
At some point, red lanterns had been hung throughout the town at the foot of the mountain. They stood out strikingly against the gray winter sky. Vendors clustered along the dirt roads, their stalls piled high with red paper cuttings.
Tianjue Sect was not especially strict about its disciples returning home for the New Year. They could leave whenever they wished during the holiday, but they had to return to the sect and resume cultivation by the appointed date.
In previous years, Wen Shubai had always stayed at Tianjue Sect.
But this year, Ji Zhaoxi would be taking him home for the New Year.
Liuli had been waiting in the rear mountains since early morning. When would her young mistress come to pick her up? She was so hungry her stomach was growling.
“Liuli, are you waiting for Junior Sister?” Gu Wuyou asked, carrying a bundle on his back.
Liuli nodded.
Gu Wuyou asked gossipily, “Did Junior Sister go to find Senior Brother?”
Liuli kept her mouth shut and gazed into the distance with profound solemnity.
Gu Wuyou mounted his horse and raised an eyebrow. “I already know even if you don’t tell me. Everyone knows.”
Apparently, the Sect Leader had thrown quite a fit.
Geniuses were so annoying… When ordinary disciples like them spoke with the Sect Leader or the elders, they had to weigh every word carefully. Yet those two acted as if the rules of the Heartless Dao didn’t exist.
Recently, the disciples of Tianjue Sect had been returning home in waves. The sect had become much quieter, though even more disciples had chosen to remain behind and use the opportunity to train.
Not everyone possessed Wen Shubai’s talent, but their desire to ascend was no weaker than anyone else’s.
The Second Elder had been the fastest to leave. Technically, elders were not supposed to descend the mountain, but he had thick skin. If he wanted to go down, then down he went.
Although he no longer had any family, he still had to return home for a visit.
The courtyard was shrouded in dense white steam. Several large pots boiled at once, filling the air with the smoky scent of pine and cypress branches, along with the rich fragrance of fresh fat.
The ground was wet, streaked with hot water and blood.
Ji Yingjin was greeting customers at the entrance, while Liu Dazhuang and several other burly men moved in and out of the mist, each carrying two gleaming knives.
“Next! Pull it tight!”
Liu Dazhuang’s voice was especially loud.
With a series of grunts, Ji Yingjin quickly packed the meat and handed it to the customer at the entrance.
“Can’t you give me a little more?”
Ji Yingjin waved him off impatiently. “Not a bit more! We’re barely making any money as it is. I’m already selling it to you at a loss.”
Before long, someone else came to haggle, and Ji Yingjin had shouted herself hoarse.
She hurried over to Liu Dazhuang’s side. “Xixi’s Senior Brother is coming over. Remember to save the better cuts for him.”
Liu Dazhuang was exhausted. He answered gruffly, “Don’t worry, my dear. I already set those aside.”
Seeing the sweat on his forehead, Ji Yingjin’s heart ached. She took out a handkerchief and wiped it away for him.
There was nothing to be done. This was what it was like right before the New Year.
Every year after the holiday ended, Liu Dazhuang’s hands would tremble from exhaustion.
Inside the Cold Mist Pavilion, the bitter scent of incense drifted through the air.
The Sect Leader stood with his back to the entrance, his hands clasped behind him, his face cold and stern.
Wen Shubai knelt on the hard, frigid floor. He was no longer wearing his thin ceremonial robes, but had changed into a thick brocade robe instead.
“Master, your disciple has come today… to bid you farewell.”
“Thank you, Master, for your guidance and cultivation. You showed your disciple how to see through worldly attachments and devote himself to the Dao. But in the end, your disciple has developed a mortal heart. My Dao heart has been disturbed, and I am no longer suited to ascend.”
The Sect Leader did not turn around, but the spiritual pressure within the pavilion instantly surged. The surrounding pillars of ice cracked one after another.
Wen Shubai paused, then left anyway.
The moment he stepped out of the Cold Mist Pavilion, he saw Ji Zhaoxi waiting by the bridge. When she saw him emerge, she asked softly, “Senior Brother, did the Sect Leader scold you?”
Wen Shubai caught her hand and tucked it into his robes to warm it. He lowered his head and smiled without saying a word.
Ji Zhaoxi didn’t mind. In any case, Senior Brother was definitely going to follow her.
The peaks of Tianjue Sect were wrapped in thick layers of snow. The wind howled fiercely.
Ji Zhaoxi stood at the tip of the sword as she flew through the air, while Wen Shubai stood beside her. Liuli had curled herself into the fur collar, her expression gone completely dazed as the wind battered her.
Young Mistress is so amazing at sword-flying… But the wind is really strong… Young Mistress is so amazing… The wind is really strong…
Ji Zhaoxi turned around and nearly jumped at the sight of Liuli’s expression. She quickly used her spiritual power to shield her from the wind.
Liuli immediately began scribbling in her notebook again.
[Immortal Ji is the kindest, most compassionate, and most incredible immortal in the world!]
The flying sword grew faster and faster. The heavy clouds gradually parted, and the small town below slowly came into view.
Ji Zhaoxi pressed the sword downward, making the wind howl even more fiercely as she searched among the dense cluster of tiled houses for her home.
Amid the rows of buildings, one household stood out especially clearly. From the sky, steam could be seen rising from the Ji family’s courtyard, while figures no bigger than ants hurried back and forth.
“Senior Brother, that’s my home!” Ji Zhaoxi’s eyes lit up at once.
As the sword’s momentum slowed, the once-silent clouds below erupted into a chorus of cheers from the villagers, all pouring into her ears at once.
Ji Yingjin had been shouting herself hoarse at the gate. “Quiet down, quiet down! One at a time.”
A huge crowd had packed the entrance, but Ji Yingjin’s voice rose even louder. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she looked utterly exhausted.
Just as she was about to go inside, it felt as though an invisible thread had tugged at her. Almost instinctively, she looked up.
Amid the falling snow, a vivid streak of crimson was flying toward the courtyard.
Ji Yingjin’s eyes widened. They immediately reddened, and she frantically wiped the grease from her hands onto her apron before shouting into the house:
“Our girl is back!”
“Liu Dazhuang, our girl is back!”
