Chapter 365: Snow Girl

This was a simple wooden house. Four pillars were embedded in the walls, the windows were square, and the window lattices were unadorned, merely a crude 'field' character. Light streamed straight in. The cupboard stood ajar, revealing several folded green and white garments stacked inside. His bed was placed in a corner, without a bed frame or drapes to obscure it.

This was also the scene he had seen daily upon waking in his previous life.

The passage of two lifetimes felt as if it hadn't changed. Consciousness slowly returned from a haze, and in the first moment of clarity, he even had a hallucination: that he was still the insignificant Daoist priest, and all the hardships and twists he had experienced before were merely a dream.

But this thought gave him a greater sense of unreality—he always felt that he was missing something, chasing something, and worried about something.

This brief moment of distraction slowly faded after his eyes met Siming's.

The emptiness in his heart disappeared. He quietly looked at Siming, memories from before his coma surfacing, bringing a slight stinging sensation.

Siming also turned to look at him.

Neither of them spoke, as if unwilling to break the silence.

Siming's eyes subtly trembled. She instinctively raised a hand and tucked a silver strand of hair that had fallen across her cheek behind her ear. She lowered her head slightly, turning away a little. The glow from the medicine furnace cast a soft, delicate crimson hue on the curve of her profile, from her elegant nose and red lips to her jade-like chin and neck.

Ning Changjiu looked at her side profile, at her straight, flowing silver hair.

Siming's black divine robe was as before, but now tied with a milky white jade belt, accentuating her slender waist and gracefully outlining the curve between her top and skirt.

Ning Changjiu miraculously saw 'gentleness' in her, a quality that shouldn't have belonged to her.

His lips moved slightly, about to speak, but Siming spoke first, her voice still cool: "Lie still for now, don't move. Your bones are mostly shattered, and your internal organs are dislocated. If you reopen your wounds, I don't have Master's skill to stitch you back up."

Ning Changjiu lay on the bed, smiling weakly, the pain and numbness throughout his limbs still tearing at him.

"When did you wake up?" Ning Changjiu asked.

Siming said softly, "I woke up two days before you. I didn't suffer much external injury; it was just the moon sundial that shattered, damaging my foundation."

"Did Master fix it for you?" Ning Changjiu inquired.

Siming pursed her lips, remaining silent for a moment before replying, "She didn't fix it... She gave me the other half of the sun sundial."

"I see." Ning Changjiu had expected this. He added, "Let's go thank Master together later."

Siming bit her lip, muttering to herself in confusion, "Why would she give me such a precious item? Am I worth her doing that?"

Ning Changjiu smiled faintly, "Didn't you say my Master must be someone with terrible judgment and lacking common sense? So, saving you isn't strange at all."

Siming's icy gaze suddenly sharpened, and she said coldly, "It's all your fault! You knew, didn't you? You deliberately didn't tell me, just waiting for me to see her so you could laugh at me!"

Ning Changjiu smiled slightly, "How could I be so malicious?"

Siming snorted, "You were absolutely intentional! You just wanted to embarrass me..."

"How was the Divine Official embarrassed?" Ning Changjiu asked.

Siming's delicate body trembled slightly, her gaze flickering. She said indifferently, "I'm afraid you'll be disappointed; I wasn't embarrassed at all. When I woke up, I saw her silhouette through the white gauze, and I recognized her instantly. I was neither servile nor overbearing; I maintained my composure."

Ning Changjiu's smile was teasing, "Is that so? The Divine Official is truly impressive."

Siming took a deep breath. "Aren't you severely injured? How do you still have so much to say!"

Ning Changjiu chuckled, his soft voice like a sigh, "I thought I'd never be able to talk to you again. Now that we're both alive, of course we should cherish every moment."

Siming's slender body trembled slightly. She turned her back again, gently picked up a fan, and fanned the furnace fire. The frost that had finally gathered in her eyes instantly melted, replaced by a misty moisture.

"Actually... I saw it all," Siming said.

"Hmm?" Ning Changjiu asked, "Saw what?"

"You carrying me, climbing Kunlun, coming here... I saw it all," Siming said.

Ning Changjiu asked with a smile, "Did Master show you?"

Siming gently shook her head. "It was a woman in a green dress, with impressive cultivation."

"Oh, Eldest Senior Sister..." Ning Changjiu nodded. "My Senior Sister is very capable. The character 'Silence' you admired so much was written by her."

Siming agreed, "Eldest Senior Sister indeed has an extraordinary demeanor."

"Senior Sister actually showed you those things," Ning Changjiu said with a seemingly casual smile. "Ah, it was just climbing to the moon in one night, a trivial matter, nothing to it."

Siming leaned back against the chair, her eyes deep. "You don't need to belittle yourself. Actually... it was quite impressive."

Ning Changjiu looked at her graceful shoulders and back, then tentatively asked, "So, after you saw it? What did you think?"

Siming immediately said, "Don't overthink it, I certainly didn't cry!"

"..." Ning Changjiu said, "The Divine Official is truly as strong as ever."

Siming snorted coldly, "Don't think I can't hear your sarcasm... Wasn't I like this because I was trying to save you?"

"My eternal gratitude, Xueci, I will never forget it," Ning Changjiu replied.

Siming smiled subtly, fanning the fire. "I never thought Master had been watching us all along."

"Indeed," Ning Changjiu said, "back in the dream, everything was real after all. I still remember many things you said."

As if an electric current ran through her body, Siming stiffened. She gripped the fan handle tightly and whispered, "Words spoken in a dream are like words spoken while drunk; they shouldn't be taken seriously. Just forget them."

"But the saying goes," Ning Changjiu countered, "in vino veritas."

"Truth is not spoken while drunk," Siming retorted.

"Oh?" Ning Changjiu asked, "Then what *does* one do while drunk?"

Siming's thoughts met his, and her immortal face flushed slightly. She thought, "He's still as vexing as ever."

Siming said, "Whether this dream is real or not, when we return to the Ancient Spirit Sect, I'm going to get my revenge on Jiajia. Hmph, just because she's Master's favorite and the Eldest Senior Sister, she always carries a ruler to scare people, and she even dared to punish me in front of Zhao Xiang'er. Just wait until I go back; I'll teach her a lesson."

Ning Changjiu cautiously reminded her, "Jiajia still has your slave mark."

Siming said indifferently, "What's there to fear? In the dream, she oppressed the three of us for three years. Are you going to help her? If you stand with me, Jiajia is only at the Purple Courtyard realm; she won't even have a chance to control the slave mark."

Although Ning Changjiu didn't know the full details about Jiajia, hearing Siming speak this way, he instinctively felt that Jiajia must have already entered the Five Paths realm.

"What are you boiling?" Ning Changjiu asked.

"Medicine," Siming replied. "They're ancient treasures, extremely beneficial for your injuries."

"Why are there so many wood shavings over there?" Ning Changjiu asked again.

Siming glanced at them and explained, "Master said your injuries are difficult to heal and you won't be able to walk for a while. But I was afraid you'd be bored, so I decided to make you a wheelchair."

"I won't be bored with you accompanying me," Ning Changjiu said.

Siming's eyelashes fluttered slightly, but her voice remained cool: "If you say things like that again, I'll make the wheelchair wheels square!"

"So fierce right after waking up." Ning Changjiu couldn't help but laugh. He said, "You were cuter when you were injured, lying still on my back, so docile. When you fainted, you even told me that, in front of the mirror, you secretly peeled a fruit and saw..."

"Stop it!" Siming immediately turned back, snapping, "How dare you even bring that up? Didn't you tell Master that your disciple was stubborn and would surely confess his feelings upon waking? You've been awake for so long, and all you've done is bicker with me. What feelings have you confessed?"

Ning Changjiu's smile vanished. He was slightly stunned. "Master told you that too?"

Siming's lips curved into a smile. "Of course she did. Oh, and by the way, all those things you said to me while climbing Kunlun, I heard them all. I couldn't answer you then, but now... I can tell you about them one by one."

Ning Changjiu's head buzzed. He thought of the words exchanged between life and death, and the more he thought, the more ashamed he felt. He looked at the captivating smile on Siming's lips, feeling even more mortified. "Don't get too arrogant!"

Siming's eyes curved like a new moon, and the smile on her lips held a clear, enchanting charm. "Arrogant? I'm just waiting for Young Master Ning to confess his feelings, aren't I? Go on, I'm listening."

Ning Changjiu frowned, silently staring at her.

Siming's jade legs suddenly bent, and she fell to her knees on the floor, her shoulders hunched, her delicate body trembling.

Ning Changjiu let out a long breath. "Even if my whole body is paralyzed and I only have my thoughts left, you're still no match for me."

Before his words finished, Siming slowly looked up, her brows unfurrowed, the pain on her face replaced by a smile. Gracefully, she propped up her exquisite figure, her slender jade feet bare, and slowly walked toward Ning Changjiu, smiling, "Keep going?"

Ning Changjiu was startled. He tried to exert his will again, but Siming showed no reaction.

Siming explained, "Master, while you were unconscious, used your essence blood to release me. How about that? What other tricks does Young Master Ning have?"

Ning Changjiu lay on the bed with a look of utter resignation. "I have no more tricks. You may do as you please."

Siming was triumphant and in excellent spirits. She cleared away the herbal soup, carefully ladled it, and came to the bed, saying, "Changjiu, it's time for your medicine."

Ning Changjiu looked at her gentle smile, yet felt a startling sensation. He watched as Siming offered the spoon, and slowly raised his head to take it, but Siming extended a jade-like finger and pressed his head back down. She said, "Close your eyes, I'll feed you."

"Why do I need to close my eyes to drink medicine?" Ning Changjiu asked.

"Less nonsense!" Siming retorted.

Ning Changjiu closed his eyes, trembling with apprehension.

A moment later, his lips were touched by something soft, cool, and smooth, like a magnolia petal falling unwittingly onto his lips during an afternoon nap under a flowering tree. Then, his lips were held by the petals, which slowly opened. Something flowed in, cool, carrying the fragrance of medicine, mixed with something like lively fish. His tongue was stimulated, swirling around, intertwining and playing with the tiny fish.

The aroma of the medicine seeped down his throat, slowly flowing through his organs, bringing warmth to his body.

When Ning Changjiu slowly opened his eyes again, he saw Siming sitting beside him, head bowed and chest slightly puffed out, stirring the medicinal liquid. Her slightly moist jade lips gently blew away the white mist from the surface of the medicine.

Her expression was normal, only her eyes seemed to hold unshed tears.

Ning Changjiu couldn't help but smile. He wanted to touch Siming's hair, but couldn't lift his hand.

Neither of them spoke, understanding each other implicitly.

After feeding him the medicine, Siming went to clear away the furnace and the dregs, her back busy.

Ning Changjiu savored the quiet moment.

On the window lattice, the light turned from white to dim yellow.

Siming said patiently, "It's night now. You should sleep some more. Your body is so weak; if you feel uncomfortable anywhere, remember to tell me."

"What about you?" Ning Changjiu asked.

Siming said calmly, "You saved me; it's only right that I look after you."

With that, Siming slowly lifted his blanket, curled up, and little by little, slipped in beside him.

Ning Changjiu looked at her face, so close, still feeling a bit unreal.

Siming explained, "I don't trust leaving you alone, so I'm condescending to sleep with you for two days. Don't have any improper thoughts, hmm... anyway, even if you do, there's nothing you can do now."

Siming smiled provocatively, looking at his handsome face, feeling very pleased.

Ning Changjiu also smiled. They were very close; Ning Changjiu could clearly count her long, curled eyelashes. He said, "I want more medicine."

Siming paused, "I already poured it out. That medicine is so bitter; are you addicted?"

"It's not bitter at all," Ning Changjiu said, shifting slightly and gently pecking her.

Siming was startled, her cheek tilting slightly, trying to dodge. Her delicate jade cheek was lightly touched by him. Her body trembled slightly; she stopped trying to avoid him, and her beautiful lips quickly surrendered. Siming trembled and closed her eyes, slowly relaxing her mind. She involuntarily recalled the scene the senior sister in the green dress had shown her. The tenderness of the moment grew heated, her emotions stirred, and two lines of clear tears could no longer be held back, sliding down and soaking into the pillow.

"Don't open your eyes," Siming mumbled.

Hearing this, Ning Changjiu secretly narrowed his eyes to a slit, only to see her stubborn, proud face streaked with tears.

It was a long night.

Neither of them fell asleep.

Ning Changjiu, burdened by his full-body injuries, could do nothing but lie quietly, cuddling with Siming, watching the moonlight filter through the window, and speaking in low voices.

"You once said that after we were married, you'd tell me a secret. I've waited a long time," Ning Changjiu suddenly said.

Siming was startled. "I lied back then. I was mainly coveting your Golden Crow."

"Indeed," Ning Changjiu said, "you were so fierce back then, always thinking of killing me to take the bird."

Siming pointed to their current state, "So, aren't I getting my retribution now?"

"What exactly did you want to tell me?" Ning Changjiu pressed.

"It's nothing, really," Siming said. "Just that I watched you die once in a certain lifetime."

"Me?" Ning Changjiu, who already knew about his and Xiang'er's origins, recalled with a sigh, "Was anyone else with me then?"

"No one," Siming said.

"I see..." Ning Changjiu responded, feeling a little sad.

Siming said softly, "You're not alone now. We'll all be with you."

Still somewhat unaccustomed to her gentle demeanor, Ning Changjiu replied, "I'll always be with you all too."

Siming snorted coldly, "How dare you say that? How many young women have you seduced along the way? Do you have no bottom line anymore?"

Ning Changjiu hesitated, "Infinite great love..."

Inside the house, Ning Changjiu's pained cry rang out.

Ning Changjiu never fell asleep. In the morning, Siming, however, did close her eyes and slept for a while. She leaned gently against his shoulder, her body subtly touching his, as if afraid he might suddenly disappear.

When Siming woke up, she immediately got out of bed and continued working on the wheelchair.

Outside the door, wood shavings flew.

Siming pushed the finished wooden wheelchair in. Ning Changjiu was cradled in her arms and slowly placed into the wheelchair.

"Where would you like to see the scenery? I'll take you," Siming said earnestly, standing behind him and pushing the wheelchair.

Ning Changjiu held the armrests of the chair and smiled, "What is there to see?"

Siming's eyebrows furrowed. "Ning Changjiu, I spent three days making this chair! Don't be ungrateful!"

Ning Changjiu smiled and explained, "With you standing behind me, I can't see the best view. What other flowers and plants could possibly catch my eye?"

Siming heard this and couldn't help but smile, though her voice remained cool, "If you keep flattering me, I'll push you to the top of the stairs and then let go, letting you slide down by yourself!"

Ning Changjiu immediately begged for mercy.

The temple was desolate.

Third Senior Brother Ji Xuan had returned to the Divine Painting Tower, Fourth Senior Sister continued to slay demons, Sixth Senior Brother was still traveling among mortals, Fifth Senior Brother was writing the Heavenly Tablet in his pavilion, and Eldest Senior Sister and Second Senior Brother hadn't come out to join the fun. The entire temple seemed to only have the two of them left.

Siming pushed Ning Changjiu, slowly moving forward.

"It's exactly like in the dream," Siming commented, looking around.

"Indeed," Ning Changjiu said, "In the dream, we were always studying and never had a good chance to look around properly. It was a pity."

Siming said softly, "What's there to regret? Jiajia and Xiang'er are here too, aren't they? We'll all reunite eventually."

Ning Changjiu nodded. "And Xiaoling's matter shouldn't be delayed."

Siming pushed him all the way to the release pond. They watched the fish in the water, their thoughts drifting.

Siming suddenly asked, "Between me and Zhao Xiang'er... who is more beautiful?"

Ning Changjiu immediately snapped back to attention, straightening his back and sitting upright.

Siming smiled faintly. "I was just asking casually. Feel free to speak your mind."

Ning Changjiu, adhering to the principle of speaking differently to different people, replied, "Of course, you are more beautiful. There is no one in the world as beautiful as you."

"Is that so..." Siming nodded gently and took a stone from her pocket, shaking it in front of him. "This is a sound-recording stone. I'll often take out what you just said and listen to it with my Third Senior Sister in the future."

Ning Changjiu's blood rushed to his head. "Xueci! We have no grievances between us, you..."

As he spoke, he painfully raised his hand, trying to snatch the stone.

Siming held it away with a graceful jade-like hand, smiling gently. "Behave well these next few days. If I'm happy, I'll give it to you. Understand?"

Ning Changjiu imagined Xiang'er's expression upon hearing those words and, enduring the humiliation, nodded.

Siming smiled as she pushed him outside the temple.

Ning Changjiu looked at the rolling wheat fields and the lush trees lining the paths, and couldn't help but exclaim, "I truly wish I could stay here forever."

Siming also said, "There are many ancient trees, immortal herbs, birds, and beasts here that have been extinct for thousands of years. They originally lived in various harsh conditions across the north and south of the world, but can all be seen again in this paradise."

"This place might also be a divine realm," Ning Changjiu said.

Siming also sighed, "It's true there's always something beyond what you know."

"Did you see Master's appearance?" Ning Changjiu asked.

"Not really," Siming replied with regret. "I only saw her silhouette through white gauze."

Ning Changjiu did not press further; he knew that every word he spoke would be heard by Master.

Siming carefully pushed him down the steps.

Ning Changjiu felt the wind blowing from the wheat fields and said, "It's truly good to be alive."

Siming hummed in agreement, softly saying, "Yes, I thought I would never see you again."

Ning Changjiu smiled faintly, then asked, "So... how did you feel at that time?"

Seeing him push his luck again, Siming said coolly, "Relief!"

Ning Changjiu was quite helpless. He had always thought that after such an experience of life and death, Siming's personality might have changed drastically, but now he realized she was always contradictory, and perhaps it was this very nature of hers that he loved.

They walked onto a narrow path.

By the path, they saw the five trees again.

"They've grown so fast," Ning Changjiu said.

In the dream, they had only planted a seed.

Siming looked at the fourth tree, the one she had planted, which was growing the least favorably.

Siming quickly used her spiritual power to draw water and irrigate it.

She watered her own tree, Jiajia's, Xiaoling's, and Ning Changjiu's, but intentionally skipped Zhao Xiang'er's, as if considering her the greatest rival.

After watering, Siming was in a great mood, as if she could already see her sapling growing into a towering tree.

"I'll take you somewhere," Siming said, quickly pushing the wheelchair, even making a breathtaking turn at a corner that made Ning Changjiu grip the armrest tightly in fright.

Siming pushed with one hand and covered his eyes with the other. Only when they reached their destination did she slowly release him.

Ning Changjiu opened his eyes. Below his feet was a vast cliff, and before him, a sea of clouds and pine waves rose and fell. The sky was boundless, and beyond the cloud sea, no other mountains could be seen; it was like gazing at a boundless ocean. Within the clouds that steamed and billowed like waves, immortal cave dwellings and city towers seemed to be hidden.

This was a familiar sight to Ning Changjiu.

"Master told me this should be your favorite place to come," Siming said, resting her hands on his wooden chair, gazing out with him.

Ning Changjiu smiled faintly and said, "Yes, it's very beautiful here. The wind, the clouds, the flowers, and the 'snow' here are all very beautiful."

Siming asked, puzzled, "It's still early summer; where would 'snow' come from?"

Ning Changjiu turned his head and quietly looked at her.

Siming's puzzled gaze gradually cleared, and her immortal face and snow-white neck were covered in a light pink blush.

Her name was Xueci; her silver hair was like snow, and her eyes held the essence of timeless snow.

"Don't call me that again!" Siming composed herself, biting her jade lips until they were red.

"Why not?" Ning Changjiu asked.

Siming snorted coldly, "Don't think that just because you've entered the Five Paths, you can be arrogant in front of me. My inner demon has been removed, and my strength is extraordinary. Two of you wouldn't be my match."

"Your inner demon is gone?" Ning Changjiu asked curiously.

Siming proudly declared, "Of course. Master was my inner demon. When I saw her the day before yesterday, I understood and found peace. My mind is now clear. From now on, there is nothing in this world that can make me fear."

As Ning Changjiu was still half in doubt, he heard Ye Chan Palace's voice emerge from thin air, carried on the clouds and swirling snow, gentle as spring rain.

"Xueci," she called softly.

Siming's body trembled. She immediately turned and bowed respectfully toward the direction of the Daoist temple, saying, "Disciple Xueci greets Master."

Ye Chan Palace said coolly, "Bring your senior brother back to the temple. I have something to ask him."

"Yes, Master," Siming responded with utmost reverence.

Ning Changjiu understood at once.

He still had a story to tell Master.

It was the story 'Evil' had asked him to convey.