After the emotions ran their course, they collected themselves, dusted off their clothes, recovered their strewn about flying talismans and equipment, and made their way through the outer courtyard and into the sect proper.

  The sect itself was like a large building, with one outer courtyard beyond the gate, and many inner courtyards, gardens, palaces, and other facilities. Very rarely was there not a place without an icy roof above their heads, but these also existed somewhere deeper and on the upper levels of the sect.

  Legend had it that the ancestor of the Frozen Peak Palace built the sect in this place after her tears created the permanent glaciers that transformed the north of the Sky Continent. The most sacred and worshiped place of this sect was this Frozen Peak, where a famous well of pure ice waters could grant incredible boons to those who possessed ice roots, were female, and still had their yin origin energy — in other words, virgins.

  The Frozen Peak Palace was thus famous for collecting two kinds of cultivators: the unfortunate ones, those who were abused as concubines and prostitutes, and incredible talent like Mu Jingyu, Yuan Qiuyue and Xiang Liling who all possessed incredible spiritual roots.

  More famous than the sect itself were the legendary beauties who inspired countless poems and songs. The internal art that these disciples practiced focused on their inner heart, and this made them cold — in both demeanor and body temperature — but it also made them extremely beautiful, and they would always appear young, as if they had stopped aging. Thus, even an ancient elder still looked as if she was in the height of her twenties.

  This especially affected Lei Yangming and Ren Jinhai as they stared at some of the blushing disciples they passed by. Their robes were light and revealing, and the fashion expression in the Frozen Peak Palace went beyond merely risque, as some even wore largely transparent silk. In truth, it wasn’t as much a fashion statement as it was beneficial to their cultivation — the very air in this place contained profound and dense qi that could nourish their bodies, and they were all women, so wearing less or showing more was an obvious decision.

  The sect also strictly prohibited romantic relationships, as it would introduce devils and difficulties in their inner heart cultivation. But regardless of this fact, most people thought of Frozen Peak Palace as the sect master’s personal harem, and many would fall under her sword for voicing such opinion loudly.

  Mu Jingyu, who had developed a close relationship with Zhu Xuelian, was visibly nervous. So were Yuan Qiuyue and Xiang Liling, but less so.

  More impressively, had they not known any better, they would have thought that the sect was not currently being attacked by the Heavenly Mountain Pavilion. Beyond the slightly coquettish glances at the blushing Lei Yangming, and the excited girl-talk between the disciples, they all seemed calm and free of worries. Most of the disciples, who had more time to develop their inner heart, barely showed a hint of any emotion at the sight of men walking in their halls, probably for the first time in many, many years.

  Zhu Xuelian was particularly impressed with the Frozen Peak Palace disciples, and she felt a sword cultivator’s affinity and compatibility with them. To dedicate oneself to the inner peace and calm was something Zhu Xuelian understood very well, even though the core of her heart was the sword. What was in the core of theirs, she couldn’t guess or understand, but it was similar enough to develop an immediate rapport.

  “Sister Zhu,” Mu Jingyu said, tone official. “My master is a reasonable person, but she is also very cold and decisive. It is my hope that Sister Zhu and my master will go along.”

  Zhu Xuelian nodded. She wasn’t certain if Mu Jingyu’s words were an explanation or a warning.

  “The esteemed Mu Yanyu has a praiseworthy reputation for solving problems the same way you solve them, Sister,” Wu Yulan said with a smile.

  Zhu Xuelian nodded again. It was a warning.

  “Sister Mu, are the sect master and you related?” Zhu Xuelian asked.

  Mu Jingyu thought about the question, then shrugged. “We are not related by blood, but it is common for legacy candidates to be adopted into the clan and wear the surname.”

  Zhu Xuelian smiled.

  After a moment, Mu Jingyu added. “But she is like a mother to me. This Mu Jingyu wouldn’t be alive now if it wasn’t for master.”

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  Zhu Xuelian’s smile became even brighter. “Then this Zhu Xuelian is also very grateful to your master.”

  Mu Jingyu trapped her bottom lip between her teeth, trying to suppress a smile.

  Once they climbed a long set of stairs toward the peak of the icy palace, they came across a large chamber where a woman sat on a throne of ice, gilded in gold and lavish silks. The chamber was vacant, except for the mistress of the Frozen Peak Palace, and a beam of sunlight glared through the icy roof and fell on the Taiji symbol carved out of the ice before the throne.

  Zhu Xuelian and the others stepped on to the icy yin and yang and cupped their fists.

  “Disciple Mu Jingyu greets Sect Master,” Mu Jingyu said.

  “Disciple Yuan Qiuyue greets Sect Master.”

  “Disciple Xiang Liling greets Sect Master.”

  Mu Yanyu was a breathtakingly beautiful woman in her early or mid thirties. Her body was so curvy that it famously drove people to insanity, who braved the frozen north time and time again to leave flowers at the gates of the sect. Many of them died for this honor of showing Mu Yanyu their affection. One of them was the Sect Master of the Heavenly Mountain Pavilion.

  Even now, Lei Yangming could not take his eyes off the shape of her breasts, and the pale skin he could see through the sheer silk that clad Mu Yanyu, covering everything, hiding very little. The pinch of her waist was so slight that it approached surrealism more than it remained within plausible anatomy. Her eyes were a warm blue that made it so easy to imagine the heart-wrecking blush that could appear just beneath them.

  Mu Yanyu wore a cold, deep shade of blue on her lips, and her nails were painted with a similar color, and studded with a glimmering snowflake, with a diamond dust sprinkle of snow.

  Lei Yangming wasn’t the only one to stare. Zhu Xuelian also stared. Sun Yongzheng was the only one to keep his gaze fixed on the floor.

  Then, Mu Yanyu laughed and crossed her legs, and the sound of her voice was like the lullaby of ten thousand beautiful sirens. Her silky, black hair spilled over her chest, covering what her clothes could not, and her fingers toyed with a lock of hair that turned more blue than black toward the end.

  “Jingyu,” she said. “Was it merely a dream that I exiled you from the sect for ten years?”

  Mu Jingyu swallowed and lowered her eyes. “No, master.”

  “And how long has it been since then?” Mu Yanyu asked.

  Mu Jingyu swallowed again and fell to her knees. “Only a year.”

  “Only a year,” Mu Yanyu repeated and looked at the strand of hair between her fingers.

  Mu Jingyu trembled and lowered her head all the way to the floor. “Please show mercy to this unfilial disciple!”

  Zhu Xuelian blinked, pulled out of her enchanted spell by Mu Jingyu’s loud words. Then she cupped her fist and lowered her head.

  “This Zhu Xuelian greets esteemed Sect Master,” she said. “It was this Zhu Xuelian’s suggestion to come here, and Mu Jingyu is not the only one to blame. Please allow me to take Mu Jingyu’s punishment instead.”

  “So you are Zhu Xuelian,” Mu Yanyu spoke, regarding Zhu Xuelian coldly. “I am glad I could finally meet you. There are many times I’ve dreamed of killing you.”

  Zhu Xuelian narrowed her eyes, and her heart trembled.

  Who was Mu Yanyu? An existence even higher than Yi Zhengxi. Even Zhu Xuelian had to admit that if Mu Yanyu wanted her dead, there was nothing Zhu Xuelian — or anyone here — could do about it.

  “Should this Zhu Xuelian be grateful to be alive, or is this something esteemed Sect Master still dreams about?” Zhu Xuelian asked.

  “This Sect Master does not think that you were trying to insult her by suggesting she would do something as crass as kill you in her own home, after showing you hospitality,” Mu Yanyu said.

  Zhu Xuelian, hearing those words, had never felt so rebuked by forgiveness and understanding before — or even condemnation, for that matter.

  Zhu Xuelian also fell to her knees and bowed to Mu Yanyu. “Sect Master is truly a wonderful and righteous person, and this small Zhu Xuelian learned something today about who she wants to be in the future,” Zhu Xuelian said, and her tone betrayed that she meant every word. In another life, she would have been a Frozen Peak Palace disciple, and worship this Sect Master. She understood why Mu Jingyu thought of her as her mother.

  “Let’s forget about this matter,” Mu Yanyu said. “And the exile. Jingyu, I sent you away so that you don’t have to be here when the age of the Frozen Peak Palace ends. Why did you come back, you silly girl?”

  Mu Jingyu bit her lower lip, and her eyes teared up. “Master, I did not know your true reasons for sending me away, but when I saw the Ark… I thought I’d rather die than stay away.”

  Mu Yanyu laughed again and shook her head. “You are, without a doubt, the worst disciple I’ve ever had.”

  Mu Jingyu smiled and kowtowed. “Thank you, Master.”

  Mu Yanyu sighed. “So many years, and you still have not learned anything about embracing the cold in your heart. You chase this Zhu Xuelian, disobey my orders, and shelter embers in your heart. In the same way, this Sect Master is proud of you for being able to walk two paths.”

  Mu Jingyu looked up at her master with grateful tears in her eyes.

  “Normally, I would kick you out of the sect to make sure you live through our ruin, but unfortunately, in coming here, you have decided to share our unavoidable fate,” Mu Yanyu said and stood up from the throne. She floated toward Mu Jingyu and cupped her cheek. “For this, this Sect Master is grateful to you. You were a terrible disciple who learned nothing of my internal arts, but you are also the best disciple of this Frozen Peak Palace.”

  “Sect Master honors this disciple. I am speechless,” Mu Jingyu said, pressing her palm over Mu Yanyu’s hand that held her cheek.

  Mu Yanyu smiled and then turned toward the others. “We will convene later. For now, go rest. You must be tired from your journey.”

  Everyone cupped their fist and bowed. “Thank you for your hospitality, esteemed Sect Master,” they said and left the chamber.