Chapter 1715: Cold Prison Passageway Sodell, Ice Prison Nail Sword Face Torn Apart

"Zheng..."

Faintly, the sound of a zither echoed, deep and resonant.

He crossed the murky spring streams, delved into the depths of the frigid sea, followed the cold current's guidance to the Frost Prison, and successfully located the target cell.

The cell door was ajar. Guarding the entrance, made of thick, ethereal blue ice, was a somewhat familiar young woman.

She had an oval face and was leaning against the ice wall with her eyes closed, listening intently to the zither. Two small dimples on her cheeks held a smile of pure rapture.

Her eyelashes were long, dark, and curled. Her skin was as fair as snow, seemingly delicate enough to break at a touch. She appeared to be no older than twenty.

As he drew closer, he could faintly discern a captivating, delicate maidenly fragrance emanating from her graceful figure.

"Miss Dai'er."

Yue Gonghui's voice softened slightly as he called out.

He knew this attendant. Earlier, when they were offering suggestions at Desolate Mountain, Miss Dai'er had provided the most advice, and it had been the most pertinent.

In the end, she was also the first to leave, clearly disdaining the "rewards" of the spatial ring and the Spirit Tower.

For an attendant to be so "noble" and ask for nothing in return, merely helping him out of kindness, made Yue Gonghui feel ashamed of himself upon reflection.

Of course, he wouldn't go so far as to investigate this attendant or try to learn more about her because of this.

The only reason he knew Miss Dai'er's name was because someone had called it out at their final parting.

Yue Gonghui simply remembered it.

"Hm?"

Miss Dai'er, leaning against the ice wall, clearly wasn't proficient enough in cultivation, and her safety awareness needed significant improvement. She quickly opened her eyes only after Yue Gonghui spoke.

Only up close could he see that Miss Dai'er's eyes were actually large, with an attractive misty hue, and as lustrous as two tempting dark purple grapes.

"It's you!"

Upon seeing an outsider, Miss Dai'er initially panicked and instinctively recoiled, but with the ice wall behind her, she had nowhere to retreat.

She then remembered something, relaxed, and with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, playfully covered her red lips as she said:

"Elder Hui, you also think my... well, our advice was right, don't you? You really did come to see Sister Nu!"

The attendants of the Listening Rain Pavilion were indeed quite audacious!

This couldn't help but stir a strange feeling in Yue Gonghui's heart.

Because ordinarily, throughout the entire Cold Palace Imperial Domain, no attendant would dare to tease him like this; they wouldn't even dare to look up when speaking.

These were Young Master Li's people... Yue Gonghui smiled helplessly:

"Miss Dai'er, you are remarkably intelligent. After returning, I deliberated extensively and still felt it necessary to come here to seek an audience with..."

"Yes, to seek an audience with Miss Yue Gongnu... perhaps only then can I enter Desolate Mountain."

Miss Dai'er repeatedly waved her hand, her small face flustered.

It was clear she wanted to explain that this wasn't her idea, but the result of everyone's collective brainstorming.

She couldn't take the blame alone.

However, as if on second thought, talking too much with an old rogue like him would offer no benefit and likely only complicate things further.

Having her name remembered was already terrifying, so she dared not say more. With a slight awkwardness, she waved her hand and said:

"Elder Hui, you don't need to tell me all this; just go inside..." She gestured towards the cell entrance, clearly indicating for him to proceed.

Yue Gonghui looked in that direction.

The cells in the Frost Prison were originally small, but the one prepared for Miss Yue Gongnu was exceptionally spacious.

To call it a cell was misleading; from its environment, it was more like a blessed land of Yin energy, with its own unique internal world, superior even to ordinary spiritual sites.

Looking in, through the half-open ice wall, Yue Gonghui could only see a long corridor, unable to discern the full interior.

Of course, while the Frost Prison appeared appealing, it was by no means a benign place.

It was also a place where laws were broken and rules were chaotic. For a Spirit Refiner, every moment spent there was agony.

With sacred power and ancestral source power suppressed, Yin energy invaded the body, making every breath a torment.

Yue Gonghui was currently experiencing this torment.

Ninety percent of his strength was suppressed, making even the use of sacred thoughts extremely difficult.

This was despite him entering the Frost Prison under the pretext of "visiting" and having obtained a "passage jade token."

Miss Yue Gongnu, without any protective measures, had been here for thirty years. How much suffering must she have endured?

"Miss Dai'er, aren't you here to visit... her? Why are you standing out here?" Yue Gonghui withdrew his gaze, choosing not to enter the cell alone, and instead looked at the woman before him.

"I'm..." Dai'er became somewhat flustered under his gaze, "listening to the zither..."

*Zheng*—

The cell entrance fell silent.

The undulating zither music flowed from the half-open door.

The zither playing had reached its peak; there was no trace of melancholic longing, but rather a transition from the gentle tinkling of a secluded spring to a stark, resonant austerity.

Yue Gonghui closed his eyes and relaxed his mind, feeling himself drawn into an ancient battlefield set within a dark, primeval forest.

The colors were bleak. Beneath a gloomy sky, armored knights wielded long halberds, and giant warriors raised shields and swung axes...

The clash of blades and weapons echoed like shattering porcelain and splintering jade.

The wailing of sorrowful spirits resembled a wounded wolf crying for its cub.

The battle raged until the last moment, both armies fighting until blood flowed like rivers, with no victor or vanquished, only casualties on all sides.

As the zither music gradually subsided, Yue Gonghui opened his eyes, feeling a profound sense of loss.

"What a magnificent performance of 'Wounded Southern Court'! I feel as though I've seen the root of the bloody catastrophe in the cursed land. If the Ancestor of Arts hadn't fallen into wicked darkness, hadn't wielded the Blood Tree, and hadn't bound the Blood World Pearl back then, this period... alas."

Shaking his head with a sigh, Yue Gonghui said no more, extended his hand towards the ice door, and motioned, "Miss Dai'er, come in with me."

He didn't inquire further about why the attendant was there.

He presumed she either had offended Yue Gongnu or there was a limit to the number of visitors.

Though it was Yue Gonghui's first time visiting someone in the Frost Prison, he knew none of that mattered.

If he wanted to bring someone, he would.

"Huh?"

Dai'er pointed at herself, her expression somewhat evasive. "No, that's not... good, is it?"

"Just consider it guiding the way for me. Let's go."

Yue Gonghui said without further explanation, then stepped into the doorway.

As the esteemed Commander of the Spirit Guard Hall, what's wrong with bending the rules a bit and bringing someone along? Could the Cold Palace Imperial Domain actually punish him?

Yue Gongnu's "cell" was indeed very large.

The Frost Prison was essentially a colossal ice cavern, carved deep within the frigid sea. The temperature was terrifyingly low, and rough ice walls were visible everywhere within.

The corridor was exceedingly long, winding back and forth without end, seeming many times longer than usual.

Miss Dai'er was very cold. Following behind the elder, her exposed shoulders shivered, even though she subtly drew them in.

"Miss Dai'er, what do you think of Miss Yue Gongnu's zither skills?"

Yue Gonghui, clad in a black robe over a black shirt, exuded the demeanor of an elder. He walked ahead, engaging in casual conversation.

"That would naturally be..." Dai'er hunched her shoulders, muttering softly, "How dare I evaluate? It's certainly divine!"

"Does Miss Dai'er also play 'Wounded Southern Court'?"

"I... I do, I suppose."

As Dai'er spoke, she secretly glanced up at the elder in front of her, instinctively raising her hands to cross them over her chest and grasp her shoulders, as if trying to cover herself more.

She was indeed very cold.

The Frost Prison was cold, the ice walls were cold.

In this environment, Elder Hui also gave off a cold feeling.

"Just around that bend is the room; you'll see Miss Yue Gongnu there..." Dai'er quickly changed the subject. She then lowered her hands and quickened her pace, having spotted a glimmer of light.

"Oh!"

Unexpectedly, Elder Hui suddenly stopped.

Her chest and then her face bumped into his back, one after the other, like hitting an iron plate, causing a dull ache.

"Elder Hui, you..."

Yue Gonghui turned around, his expression utterly detached, devoid of joy or sorrow. He said indifferently, "Miss Dai'er, come to the Spirit Guard Hall."

"Wh-what?"

Dai'er's expression was bewildered. As if realizing something, her back and hands pressed tightly against the ice wall, oblivious to the Yin energy seeping into her, and she stammered:

"The Spirit Guard Hall... has openings..."

"But I... I don't qualify..."

She was on the verge of tears.

Dim light spilled from the mouth of the cavern corridor.

Dai'er leaned against the ice wall, resembling a frail, pathetic fawn, her entire face pale and bloodless.

Yue Gonghui's expression remained indifferent. He lightly licked the corner of his lip with the tip of his tongue and calmly said, "Not for a position, just to come for a moment. This evening will do."

"To... to do what..."

"Nothing much. I just want to hear you play 'Wounded Southern Court' for me, alone."

Dai'er instantly froze.

Yue Gonghui pulled out a jade token from his wide sleeve, bent down, tucked it into the young woman's clothes near her chest, and smiled gently:

"This is my identity jade token. With this, you can pass through the Cold Palace Imperial Domain, and more importantly, gain access to the Spirit Guard Hall."

"Don't worry, the Yin God Guards won't ask questions. If they see you, they'll pretend not to. Just remember to come tonight."

"Don't be afraid. This is your good fortune."

Dai'er slid down the ice wall, landing with a soft thud.

"Who's out there?"

Just then, a soft sound of surprise, like a secluded valley nightingale or the crisp chime of jade ornaments, came from around the corner:

"Is that Dai'er?"

"I told you not to wait outside. Just come in when you arrive."

Yue Gonghui gently patted Dai'er's stunned, delicate face, then smiled and rose. After a brief facial twitch, tears welled up in his eyes.

With a wail, he rushed towards the bend, flinging his sleeves like an ungainly ape as he pounded into the cell, crying out heartbrokenly:

"Miss Yue Gongnu, your old servant has come to see you!"

The cell.

On all four sides, there were still only ice walls.

There were no special furnishings indicating preferential treatment; on the contrary, the layout here was extremely simple, almost rudimentary.

Aside from the ethereal blue ice table, there was only a seven-stringed zither, ancient and imbued with an ethereal quality, as if a celestial spirit slumbered within it.

Behind the zither sat a woman dressed in a plain white long gown.

She wore no jewelry or accessories: no waist pendants, necklaces, earrings, or jade hairpins—none of the adornments typically seen on attendants. She had nothing.

Her long, dark hair cascaded like a waterfall to her waist. Only after seeing that the visitor was not whom she expected did she pick up the plain ebony hairpin from the ice table and symbolically tie her hair into a bun, as a gesture of respect.

Even so...

Like a lotus emerging from clear water, her beauty was natural and unadorned.

Simply sitting quietly before the zither, she was like a celestial maiden who had descended to the mortal realm, indescribably beautiful.

"So, you've only come for a voice transmission jade slip, so you can go to Desolate Mountain and seek an audience with Ah Li?"

Yue Gongnu's slender hand lightly stroked the ancient zither. She shook her head slightly, her delicate brows furrowed. "But my spiritual sense is useless; I cannot engrave jade slips. I cannot grant your request."

Her voice was like heavenly music, seemingly capable of calming one's heart and mind.

Seeing that his tears and snot were useless, Yue Gonghui had already regained his composure, yet he remained stubborn. He pulled out a blank jade slip and said:

"Your old servant's sacred thoughts are still somewhat functional; I can help Miss engrave a voice transmission jade slip. Just one sentence will suffice."

Yue Gongnu pursed her lips into a smile, noncommittal.

Her refusal, he supposed, was self-evident.

This was far more than a matter of one or two sentences; the request itself was presumptuous.

For the esteemed Commander of the Spirit Guard Hall to beg a criminal for a jade slip, to ensure his safety after meeting the Sacred Emperor's Successor...

From Ah Li's perspective...

He had been the Sacred Emperor's Successor for so many years; had his authority not yet been established?

To decide whether to kill an overstepping individual, he would still have to act according to the wishes of a criminal?

Even if this criminal was his elder sister?

"Ah Li would be displeased. I cannot give you this jade slip, Elder Hui. Please return; I wish to play the zither now." Unable to politely decline, Yue Gongnu simply refused directly.

Her personality had always been straightforward; she spoke her mind without much consideration, even now, confined to the Frost Prison.

Yue Gonghui's expression, however, soured.

He felt he had given her enough face, addressing her as "your old servant" repeatedly, and even getting snot on himself when he rushed forward earlier.

All he needed was a jade slip, a single sentence, or even just her voice. And she wouldn't agree?

"I..."

"Wasn't it 'your old servant'?"

Before Yue Gonghui could finish speaking, Yue Gongnu lowered her gaze to the zither. The music vibrated, now imbued with a stark, chilling intensity.

"Uh..."

He was stumped.

Was she that sensitive? He hadn't even begun to change his tone yet!

But Yue Gongnu clearly understood his thoughts far too well.

Over the years, she had grown accustomed to the ebb and flow of human sincerity. Few of those who came to visit her were genuinely sincere.

They either sought favors, asked questions, or had other hidden motives. In short, they all had ulterior motives. She chuckled softly:

"Ah Li merely went to self-detonate; he hasn't fallen yet, has he?"

"If you don't wish to respect me, you don't have to. And please try not to come again in the future."

"But please show some respect for Yue Gongli. After all, I am his sister, the Sacred Emperor's Successor."

This was clearly her way of dismissing him.

Yue Gongnu believed she hadn't shown much warmth. If he were a normal person, he would have stormed off or quietly retreated by now, either in anger or resignation.

Yue Gonghui did not. After his expression twisted, he still tried to struggle. "Miss, your old servant is truly sincere. Ah Si truly cannot die out there; he is a shadow, and the situation is too severe now..."

"Are you discussing matters with a criminal?"

"Uh..."

"Do you want to live in the cell next to mine?"

"Mm..."

Yue Gonghui's expression fluctuated wildly. He wanted to explode but dared not, and he wanted to plead further but couldn't bring himself to lose face.

Yue Gongnu was kind-hearted, always had been.

He had never imagined that his visit would result in such a cold reception, almost as if he were being driven away.

But Yue Gongnu was hardly just a criminal.

Even after thirty years in the Frost Prison, she had been raised since childhood as a successor to the Sacred Emperor; she was the true heir!

Her way of thinking was inherently that of a superior.

Seeing Elder Hui remain motionless, Yue Gongnu shifted her gaze towards the door. "Just now, there were two voices, weren't there?"

Although she lacked spiritual sense, Yue Gongnu still had her ears.

She could tell there had been two voices outside the door earlier, and it seemed one of them was Dai'er's.

Dai'er was her former personal attendant, with whom she had the closest relationship.

After Yue Gongli became the Sacred Emperor's Successor, Dai'er was sent to the Listening Rain Pavilion to serve him.

Primarily, a criminal wasn't entitled to an attendant, but Dai'er could act as a messenger between the two of them.