Chapter Ninety-Six: No More Ties Between Us

As dawn gradually broke, the pale azure sky was adorned with a few lingering stars, and the earth lay shrouded in a silvery-gray veil, hazy and indistinct. At that moment, several rays of light pierced through the horizon, cutting straight through the forest like a hand gently lifting this thin veil, granting a glimpse of the full scene.

Amidst the overgrown grass and trees, an entrance about seven feet tall was concealed. From within came the unsettling sounds of blood bats and insects mingling, causing any listener to instinctively avoid the place.

Inside, a simple yet massive ancient door stood open. Beyond it, a sloping path several meters high led down to a vast pool.

In the center of the pool, a man lay naked, floating on his back. Around him bloomed clusters of colorful lotuses, slowly circling as if guarding him.

Surrounding the pool were countless venomous insects, snakes, and pythons, while above, tens of thousands of blood bats clung to the dome-shaped ceiling. All creatures remained utterly still, as if awaiting the man's awakening.

The once thick and murky liquid had now thinned to clear water, fully revealing the man’s features.

His long eyebrows curved like willow branches, his figure as graceful as a jade tree, and his three thousand strands of black hair floated freely in the water. His straight nose and rosy lips, along with his sharply chiseled yet gentle profile, were a masterpiece of divine craftsmanship.

At that very moment, the man, who had kept his eyes closed underwater, suddenly awoke.

However, in the next instant, he choked violently on the water, struggling desperately before finally reaching the shore to gasp for air.

Suddenly, he felt as if something was missing from his face. Touching it in disbelief, he murmured, “This... this... has all been restored?”

He scrambled to the poolside, staring at the unfamiliar face reflected in the water. With trembling hands, Su Bai gently touched his own face.

Not because of its remarkable appearance, but because Su Bai could finally reveal his true self. Most importantly, his face now differed greatly from his childhood looks, so he no longer had to wear a human skin mask and hide in the shadows every day.

“By the way, here is a gift I gave you. See if you need it,” came a cool voice in Su Bai’s ear — Qu Qiu Zhuo from the jade pendant.

He lowered his head to look at the pendant hanging on his chest and asked softly, “What gift?”

“Just look for yourself. It’s among those lotuses,” Qu Qiu Zhuo added. “Your father refused this gift back then, saying everything here should be left for you. You will fulfill what he left unfinished.”

“What unfinished matter? Why haven’t you told me until now?” Su Bai asked, gazing at the pendant.

“There’s no need for me to explain. Just follow this path. Everything has been arranged,” Qu Qiu Zhuo said, then fell silent.

“Right now, saving Fan Shuang is most important. I won’t waste time arguing with you,” Su Bai said firmly. Fan Shuang’s life hung by a thread, and there was no time to delay.

He climbed up the slope and finally found the severely injured and unconscious Fan Shuang beside the bronze door.

“Fan Shuang!” Su Bai hurried over, his heart aching at her condition.

He immediately lifted her delicate body and gently placed her into the pool, then waited anxiously nearby.

The moment Fan Shuang’s body touched the water, several lotuses floated toward Su Bai. It was clear that one lotus was pushing the others forward.

“What are these things?” he wondered.

Before he could finish speaking, the lotuses began to unfold.

“Try it on to see if it fits,” a woman’s voice said again. “This outfit is woven from ice silkworm poisonous threads. Except for the Zhenbing Xuan skill I taught you, few can withstand the cold poison embedded in it,” Qu Qiu Zhuo’s voice continued.

Su Bai clasped his hands into a mudra, and a cold aura swirled around him. Though it was midsummer, the atmosphere felt like deep winter.

He then reached for the robe, swinging it in a graceful arc through the air. The plain inner garment was followed by the dark outer robe, cinched at the waist with a narrow belt.

The black long sleeves were embroidered with golden clouds at the cuffs, and behind, a python’s head woven from illusory spirit snake scales mirrored the pattern on Su Bai’s back. The belt was embroidered with pale moon-white cloud patterns. His long hair was casually tied with a single silver thread, without a crown or hairpin, a few strands gently brushing his forehead.

At last, he had a complete set of clothing—no longer standing naked in public.

The last lotus, however, remained tightly closed, arousing Su Bai’s curiosity. He stepped forward to inspect it.

As his finger touched the tip of the colorful lotus, suddenly a small head sprang out and bit him hard.

Su Bai immediately pulled back his hand, frowning as he saw two small bleeding puncture wounds.

“This is a necessary process, which is why I transformed your internal energy entirely into Zhenbing Xuan skill. Otherwise, a bite from the Kuihan Viper would have been fatal,” Qu Qiu Zhuo said indifferently.

For some reason, Su Bai blurted out, “So now I’m immune to all poisons?”

“You’re dreaming!” Qu Qiu Zhuo scorned. “Only weaklings dream of that.”

“Then why didn’t the Kuihan Viper’s bite harm me?” Su Bai scratched his head, puzzled.

Qu Qiu Zhuo sighed in exasperation. “Because the fangs didn’t inject venom, and the leftover poison was absorbed by the ice silkworm threads. Don’t think you could have withstood it alone.”

“You just can’t go half a minute without mocking me, can you?” Su Bai grumbled.

Unexpectedly, Qu Qiu Zhuo admitted, “Now that you mention it, it’s true. No one talks to me all day; chatting with poisonous insects gets pretty boring. Consider my insults as payment for teaching you martial arts.”

“Damn it...” Su Bai muttered.

Half a day later, as Fan Shuang absorbed the pool’s essence, the water grew clearer until it became a stagnant pool.

“The Kuihan Viper should be ready soon. Its venom has merged with your blood, so you can use it effortlessly. Your beloved should be brought out now; if left in any longer, she’ll suffocate,” Qu Qiu Zhuo reminded.

“Oh!” Su Bai immediately stepped forward and pulled Fan Shuang from the water.

As he held her, a three-foot-long snake suddenly shot from the lotus, coiling around Su Bai’s right arm and nuzzling his face with its flat little head.

A chill ran through him, yet Su Bai felt a strange warmth.

“Looks like my blood has fully fused with hers. Qu Qiu Zhuo didn’t lie,” he said.

“Your mind is as small as a needle’s eye. Did you really think I’d deceive you?” Qu Qiu Zhuo’s voice pierced his thoughts, teasing him.

Su Bai ignored her; the more she spoke, the more unruly she became.

Seeing Su Bai’s deliberate silence, Qu Qiu Zhuo sarcastically said, “Oh, playing the aloof card now? To me, you’re just a brat who hasn’t grown any hair. What’s the act for?”

“I’ve never met someone whose speech and appearance clash so much. You really opened my eyes. How do you manage to be so shameless, old woman!” Su Bai retorted, intending only a casual jab but unexpectedly breaking through Qu Qiu Zhuo’s defenses.

“What did you say? Calling me an old woman! Do you know I was once the most beautiful woman in Great Wei? My admirers could line up from here to the capital. And you call me an old woman! Believe it or not, I’ll kill you!” she shouted.

Su Bai covered his ears but couldn’t block her out. Soon, he had to apologize and endure a scolding.

Finally, Su Bai gazed at Fan Shuang lying on the huge rock, and Qu Qiu Zhuo ceased her chatter, her tone softening.

“The path ahead won’t be easy. If she stays by your side, she might get entangled in trouble. But if you send her away without telling her anything, the rift between you will only widen, making reconciliation difficult.”

“I understand.” Su Bai reached out, gently caressing Fan Shuang’s face. Watching her now in deep slumber, he was torn.

With Fan Shuang’s temperament, she would never feel at ease staying at the Moon Sound Sect. After so many life-and-death moments, their bond was not easily broken.

“What will you choose?” Qu Qiu Zhuo’s voice sounded calm, yet Su Bai’s unknown answer weighed heavily on her heart.

Su Bai said nothing. Instead, he cradled Fan Shuang and walked out of the cave, the Kuihan Viper coiled in his sleeve.

The voice in the jade pendant fell silent, knowing Su Bai had made his choice.

Three hours later,

Su Bai found a horse atop the cliff. He tied Fan Shuang to his back and rode toward Qingzhou.

...

At the Moon Sound Sect, Qian Biman sat in the main hall, sipping tea and calculating the days.

“Twelve days have passed; Xi Menghe should have returned. Could my premonition be true? Has something happened to him?” she pondered.

Just then, a report reached her ears: “Elder, a man named Ming Li has arrived from the mountain with an unconscious woman seeking your audience.”

“Oh? With a woman?” Qian Biman paused mid-sip, her tone tinged with urgency. “What does the woman look like? How is she dressed?”

A woman in a purple-and-white brocade gown knelt respectfully and replied, “She is fair-faced, dressed plainly. I don’t know where she’s from.”

The messenger had arrived in haste and hadn’t observed Fan Shuang’s features carefully, so the description was vague.

Qian Biman set down her teacup and paced twice before speaking, “Show them in.”

“Yes!”

Her steps quickened noticeably, and the female disciples behind her speculated about Fan Shuang’s relationship with the sect’s founder.

After a cup of tea’s time,

Looking at the scene before her, Qian Biman was at a loss for words: a handsome man in dark robes stood before her, and beside him lay a woman on a tall steed—none other than the Fan Shuang she had longed for day and night.

“Who is this man? Why have I never seen him?” Qian Biman’s eyes flickered with faint recognition, but Su Bai’s appearance had changed so much she could not identify him.

“I remember the man who was with her wore a human skin mask and was extremely ugly. Yet this man’s figure is very similar,” she thought.

Qian Biman stared at Su Bai, who sensed her gaze and stepped forward.

Just as he was about to speak, the sect’s disciples drew their swords, surrounding him tightly.

“Stop!” Qian Biman immediately commanded.

The disciples sheathed their swords but kept their eyes fixed on Su Bai.

Qian Biman approached him slowly, sneering, “Are you the man who was with her then?”

“Yes,” Su Bai nodded.

Qu Qiu Zhuo, from within the pendant, frowned at Qian Biman’s haughty demeanor. “That old woman isn’t much to look at, but she sure knows how to put on airs. Hmph!”

“You should know the rules of the Moon Sound Sect,” Qian Biman said flatly.

“I am well aware,” Su Bai replied without hesitation.

Qian Biman regarded him with interest. From Fan Shuang’s fierce protection of Su Bai, she knew their bond was not fragile.

Yet Su Bai had brought Fan Shuang here of his own accord, which puzzled her. “Then why have you brought her to me?”

Su Bai forced a smile and spread his hands. “You wanted to take her as a disciple. I now offer her to you with both hands. But I ask one condition.”

Qian Biman stepped closer. “What is your condition?”

Su Bai fell silent, glancing at the female disciples around them. His meaning was clear.

Qian Biman dismissed the disciples. “You all may leave.”

“Yes, Elder.”

With only Su Bai and Qian Biman left, she said, “Now you may speak.”

Su Bai carefully dismounted Fan Shuang and approached Qian Biman. Solemnly, he said, “Promise me that no matter what happens, you will protect her.”

Without hesitation, Qian Biman took Fan Shuang from his arms and pledged, “She is my last disciple. No one will dare lay a hand on her. You need not worry.”

Then, with a hint of hostility, she added, “Since I’ve agreed to your condition, you must agree to mine.”

Su Bai understood immediately and spoke before she could: “I understand. In this life, I will never appear before Fan Shuang again, nor will I have any entanglement with her.”

“Good. I’ll trust you for now. But if you later go back on your word and pester Fan Shuang, don’t blame me for being ruthless!” Seeing his firm agreement, Qian Biman ceased to press further, leaving these words before departing with Fan Shuang.

Su Bai watched her figure fade from sight until she vanished around the corner...

A wave of melancholy lingered in his heart. After so much time, his feelings for Fan Shuang were hard to sever. Yet could he truly protect her by keeping her close? Perhaps parting was her best fate.

Only, it was another love left unresolved.

“Regret it?” Qu Qiu Zhuo’s voice echoed again from the pendant.

“No,” Su Bai lowered his head, unwilling to admit it.

Qu Qiu Zhuo didn’t believe his stubborn denial. “Come on, you look so reluctant you’d want to imprint her in your mind forever.”

“Maybe this is the last time I’ll look at her with such intimacy,” Su Bai sighed deeply, his expression betraying his inner turmoil.

“Life is full of choices, with no absolute right or wrong. Perhaps you think sending her away today is a mistake. But would keeping her have been any better?” Qu Qiu Zhuo chuckled softly. “This is only the beginning. Don’t dwell on it. The most important thing is to walk the path ahead well.”

Su Bai looked up at the blazing midday sun, gently closed his eyes, and let two streams of tears flow down. “I understand.”