Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

The heavy, mysterious ice gate slowly rose.

The dull creaking of the machinery broke the howling wind and snow, shattering the stalemate outside the door.

Luo Qingxue, dressed in white, stepped out of the ice gate, sword in hand. The biting wind whipped up ice shards in her face, but she ignored it, her gaze fixed on two figures at the edge of the wind.

Gu Xiang and Bai Yin.

One is the prime minister of the Zhou Dynasty, and the other is the Geng metal white tiger.

At this moment, the two men's faces were purple and blue, and their lips were frosty. One on the left and one on the right, they were like two clay statues of door gods who had lost their cultivation, using their flesh and blood to block the wind, just to protect the hem of the white-robed woman's clothes inside the door.

Luo Qingxue's fingers tightened slightly as she gripped her sword. She cultivated the Supreme Forgetfulness Technique, regarding the seven emotions and six desires as a bone-scraping steel knife. Yet, this humble and worldly entanglement before her struck her Dao heart like a heavy hammer, stirring up ripples.

She composed herself, descended the icy steps, and handed over a snow-white cloak. Crimson patterns flowed across the cloak, radiating warmth.

Su Chang'an did not refuse and unfolded the cloak to put it on. A faint crimson light flashed, and warmth penetrated his meridians, forcefully suppressing the backlash from the righteous qi, the metal aura, and the killing sword intent within his body.

A trace of color finally returned to her pale cheeks.

Su Chang'an tightened his collar and stared intently at Luo Qingxue. His gaze was sharp as a knife, as if trying to peel away that cold mask.

"The Supreme Forgetfulness Sect regards me as a monster, and Li Changgeng has laid a trap for me." Her voice was extremely cold, completely flat. "As their direct disciple, you risked annihilation, using your life essence to open the Xuanbing Gate and save a wandering soul. Why?"

The wind and snow swirled.

Su Chang'an narrowed his eyes slightly and probed, "Could it be... a contingency plan that Chen Xuan secretly left behind when he suffered in your sect back then?"

The moment the name "Chen Xuan" was uttered, the chill in the surroundings intensified.

At the eye of the storm, Gu Xiang and Bai Yin, who were already teetering on the brink of collapse, suddenly froze.

Gu Xiang turned his head abruptly, his reddened eyes filled with resentment and hostility. His hands, which had held the world in their grasp, clenched tightly around his tattered blue robe, his chest heaving violently.

Bai Yin's pupils constricted sharply, and a low growl escaped his throat. He instinctively arched his back, even as it aggravated his deep, bone-revealing wounds, like a rabid beast whose territory had been invaded.

Another one?

The two men stared intently at Su Chang'an, their teeth grinding together. But because of the bright red blood she had just vomited on her plain robe, they swallowed their jealousy and dared not lash out.

Luo Qingxue shook her head slightly, a complex recollection in her eyes, and said firmly, "It has nothing to do with Chen Xuan."

Gu Xiang and Bai Yin both breathed a sigh of relief, their backs slumping slightly.

"Saving you was not out of loyalty to my sect, nor was it at Chen Xuan's request." Luo Qingxue looked directly at Su Chang'an, "but at the request of an 'old friend.' If he hadn't asked me with a token, I would never have gotten involved in this heaven-defying karma."

An old friend?

Su Chang'an frowned. She was all alone in the Northern Region; where would she find any old acquaintances?

"Which old friend?"

Luo Qingxue, unwilling to say more, turned around and said coldly, "The sect's protective formation has been destroyed, and Li Changgeng's Sky-Patrolling Mirror will arrive in an instant. Come with me, and you'll see."

After saying that, she walked to the ice wall, pointed her fingers like a sword, and forced out her essence blood to quickly form a hand seal.

The dark blue light shimmered, and the thick ice wall rippled like water, revealing a teleportation array leading to the underground.

"Come in." Luo Qingxue stepped in first.

Su Chang'an looked back at the two people in the wind and snow.

Both were extremely exhausted. Gu Xiang's lips were black, and her legs were trembling; Bai Yin's blood scabs had frozen into hard lumps, and his body was swaying.

Su Chang'an sighed inwardly and raised his right hand.

A red light shone from their fingertips, and two streams of celestial fox essence transformed into solid ribbons, coiling around their waists like serpents.

"Let's go." He moved his wrist slightly.

Two gentle forces pulled the two severely injured bodies into the Xuanbing Gate. The three stepped into the magic array, the ice wall closed, and the wind and snow were cut off.

The passage was dark and long, with only the luminous pearls on the stone walls emitting a cold light.

The infighting erupted the moment they stepped into the secret passage.

Gu Xiang's toes bumped against the stone slab, causing her body to sway and lean weakly against Su Chang'an's left side.

The warm air brushed against my ears.

"Qing'er..." Gu Xiang coughed lightly, his voice broken, "My righteous spirit is exhausted, this place is cold and damp, and my heart aches as if it were being stabbed. I can only borrow a trace of your body heat to keep me alive, please don't find it disgusting."

He lowered his eyes, looking frail and sickly, but a sly glint flashed in his eyes, hidden by the shadows.

A heavy thud came from my left shoulder, followed by another muffled thud from my right.

Seeing Gu Xiang succeed, Bai Yin's vertical pupils narrowed, his eyes filled with disdain. His towering, mountain-like body suddenly tilted down, pressing heavily on Su Chang'an's right shoulder.

"Hiss—" Bai Yin's Adam's apple bobbed as he forced out a hoarse cry of pain.

He rubbed his blood-scabbed face against Su Chang'an, his voice rough yet tinged with grievance: "Xiao Jiu, the wolf claw wound on my back has cracked from the cold. The malevolent energy is flooding my internal organs, and it's killing me. I can only live if I rely on you, so don't push me away."

Su Chang'an was caught in the middle. To his left was a pretentious scholar, and to his right was a boorish man feigning madness.

The weight made her pause slightly, and a vein throbbed on her forehead.

The two clung to each other tightly, outwardly appearing weak, but secretly launching attacks with both hands and feet. Gu Xiang secretly stretched out his left foot, attempting to hook Bai Yin's ankle; Bai Yin coldly snorted and forcefully rammed his knee into Gu Xiang's knee.

At the same time, the sound reverberated at the edge of the sea of ​​consciousness.

"These barbarians from beyond the borders are trying to act all delicate and weak, it's disgusting." Gu Xiang's voice was sharp and sarcastic. "Your rough skin is impenetrable, so stop with your pretentious act."

"You poor, pedantic scholar, faking your death to gain sympathy? Have you no shame?" Bai Yin retorted rudely. "Someone like you, a piece of rotten wood that could be blown away by the wind, dares to protect Xiao Jiu? Get lost!"

"ordinary man."

"A pedantic scholar."

Su Chang'an's mind was already on the verge of collapse, and now he had to withstand the two people's incessant chatter and secret rivalry.

She stopped in her tracks.

His face was expressionless, staring straight ahead, veins throbbing on his forehead. His patience had reached its limit.

A slight movement of the fingertips.

The celestial fox silk wrapped around their waists instantly disintegrated.

Losing their support, Gu Xiang and Bai Yin were caught off guard and fell forward together.

"Bang!"

The two fell to the ground, their cheeks slamming heavily against the cold stone slab.

Su Chang'an looked down at him, his eyes as hard as ice in the far north.

"If you make another sound," her voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable chill, "I'll throw you back into the snowfield to feed the wolves."

The passageway was deathly silent.

The two lay prone on the ground, barely daring to breathe. They then scrambled to their feet. Gu Xiang lowered his head and patted his blue robe, while Bai Yin covered his reddened nose in silence.

He followed behind, limping, silent as a cicada in winter. But in mid-air, their eyes met again, and an undercurrent of tension simmered.

Luo Qingxue, standing at the forefront, remained oblivious to the commotion behind her, her steps steady. Only her fingers, gripping the sword hilt so tightly that her knuckles turned white, and her tense jaw betrayed the turmoil within her heart.

Su Chang'an followed behind, no longer paying attention to the two burdens.

She pulled her cloak tighter around herself, secretly making plans.

Who is this "old friend" who could risk his life to save a direct descendant of the Supreme Forgetfulness Sect, and who even carries a token of trust?

She had no roots in the Northern Region. If one had to trace her back, the only trace would be the body imprisoned underground for three thousand years.

Could it be an old acquaintance of the ancient celestial fox from three thousand years ago?

At the end of the passage, a faint light, unlike anything found in ice and snow, peeked out. The answer lay within that light.