Chapter 655 544: Fairy Ye and the Snake Gourd

A cold wind swirled with fine snow, rustling as it beat against the stone steps before the Cold Palace Sword Mansion.

Two small figures walked through the snow, puffs of white mist escaping their lips as they breathed.

They were Chen Sixuan, disciple of Lu Ruoxi, and Pei Xiaohan, disciple of Lin Qianyan.

A year had now passed since the Abyssal Sea Palace had appeared and then closed once more.

At first, Chen Sixuan and Pei Xiaohan had been in great anguish, not knowing if their own masters were safe.

But as time went by, they gradually emerged from the shadows of the past and began to learn how to be independent.

They had heard that Junior Martial Uncle Pei's Dao Companion, Ye Liyuan, had been gloomy and listless ever since she returned safely from the Endless Sea. Her mood was like the snow of the Cold Palace Sword Mansion—frozen for millennia, cold and withdrawn.

So they often came to visit, hoping that Fairy Ye could also step out of the shadows.

However, Fairy Ye was never willing to open the door to see them.

Pei Xiaohan wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but she always felt that Fairy Ye's gaze held a hint of resentment whenever she looked at them.

Pei Xiaohan didn't dare ask about it. After all, she felt guilty. Her own master's relationship with Fairy Ye's Dao Companion, Pei Yuhang, had indeed been ambiguous...

Chen Sixuan's master, Lu Ruoxi... was perhaps the same.

Fortunately, Chen Sixuan and Pei Xiaohan persisted in their visits. And now, although Fairy Ye was still unwilling to see them, she had at least started accepting the Spirit Fruits and Spirit Vegetables they brought each time.

What was somewhat surprising, however, was that Fairy Ye was particularly fond of a type of Spirit Fruit called a Snake Gourd.

This gourd was long and thick, with a slight curve at its tip like a python. It tasted crisp and juicy.

Knowing that Fairy Ye liked to eat Snake Gourds, Pei Xiaohan and Chen Sixuan had prepared a large number of them to deliver today.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—

Chen Sixuan knocked lightly on the door, but after a moment, there was still no response.

"Sixuan, let's head back for now. Fairy Ye doesn't want to see us... We'll just leave the Snake Gourds here. She'll take them."

Pei Xiaohan was holding a basket woven from green vines, piled high with freshly picked Spirit Fruits. Lying on top were several long Snake Gourds, their emerald skins still beaded with morning dew.

She placed the basket on the ground and rubbed her cheeks, which were flushed red from the cold.

"Alright."

Chen Sixuan's gaze swept over the closed mansion doors, a trace of sadness flashing in her eyes.

Her eyes drifted subconsciously to the bumpy texture of the Snake Gourds in the basket. The gourds were heavy, their tips naturally curved, looking very much like coiled green pythons.

The two girls began to chat as they made their way down the mountain.

Pei Xiaohan suddenly asked with a grin, "Sixuan, do you know why Fairy Ye wants so many Snake Gourds?"

"Uh… because they're tasty?"

Chen Sixuan replied, perplexed.

She didn't understand why Pei Xiaohan would ask such a stupid question. 'What other reason could there be besides liking the taste?'

Pei Xiaohan said meaningfully, "Not necessarily."

"You're too innocent. You have no imagination at all!"

Feeling that Pei Xiaohan was looking down on her, Chen Sixuan's cheeks puffed out indignantly, like an angry pufferfish.

But no matter how much she pressed, Pei Xiaohan just smiled mysteriously and said nothing more.

「...」

「Inside the Cold Palace Sword Mansion.」

Ye Liyuan was reclining against her pillows, her simple white robes hanging loosely, half-covering her slender, bare shoulders and neck.

The hem of her elegant skirt lay in a disheveled heap on the floor.

But she only stared blankly at the fresh Snake Gourds the two girls had just delivered.

The verdant bodies of the gourds were long, thick, and slightly curved. They gleamed under the candlelight, exuding a kind of silent temptation.

Ye Liyuan swallowed. Her fingertips gently traced the bumpy texture of a Snake Gourd. The cold touch made her tremble slightly, yet it also made her blood begin to burn.

"Heh… How pathetic I've become. This is such a pathetic act, but… it's the only way I can remember Ah Han."

She suddenly raised her hand. Sword Qi burst from her fingertips with a flash of cold light.

Slices of the gourd, thin as cicada wings, rustled as they fell, scattering across her messy lapels and skirt. A few even landed on her pale collarbones, seeping cool juice onto her skin.

She looked down, her gaze unfocused and hazy.

After carefully carving it for a while, she made sure its shape and size matched the one in her memory.

She bit her lip, a shameful blush rising on her pretty face.

Then she closed her eyes, as if to deceive herself, to forget that what she held in her hand was not a gourd.

But… him.

Although the gourd was still just an inanimate object, and even colder.

Even so, through this self-deception, it was still able to bring a sliver of comfort to Fairy Ye's desolate heart.

As the candlelight flickered, Fairy Ye's waist arched upward. Her toes tensed, and her skin flushed a rosy pink.

"Ah Han… even though you betrayed me like this… I will always love you, always…"

"None of them can compare to me… none of them… No one can take you from me, no one…"

"I will avenge you against the Yin Yang Sacred Land. I will make everyone who ever bullied you… pay with their blood!"

Ye Liyuan disdainfully tossed the Snake Gourd aside. Reaching out into the empty air, she whispered a promise to her beloved.

「...」

「...」

「In the Abyssal Sea Palace.」

Lin Qianyan and Qing Yueqiu had secretly infiltrated the Inner Palace, following Fan Xuan.

Unlike the labyrinth of winding, dark corridors in the outer palace, the Inner Palace was a towering structure that spiraled upward.

Bricks of gold and jade shimmered with a cold, magnificent light under the deep blue Spiritual Light. The crystal-paved ceiling seemed to flow with the fleeting shadows of the deep sea.

Majestic and vast reliefs on the four walls seemed to silently recount ancient legends.

What was most shocking, however, was that everything here was absurdly massive. When Lin Qianyan and Qing Yueqiu stepped inside, it was as if they were little people who had wandered into a land of giants.

Qing Yueqiu looked up. Towering pillars shot straight to the vaulted ceiling. The palace doors were over a thousand feet tall, and even the steps were as steep and difficult to climb as cliffs.