Chapter 1: Kunlun Snow Ridge, the mountain path

The mountains were sealed by heavy snow. Between heaven and earth, there was a vast expanse of white, so much so that it was impossible to distinguish direction by sight alone.

Yet, a young man in white walked alone, struggling to climb, leaving behind two rows of deep footprints.

Suddenly, he paused and sniffed, sharply catching a wisp of spiritual energy’s trail.

“Shh, luck’s on my side. There’s a lone Immortal nearby—just don’t startle her.”

Lin Wu muttered to himself, took out a small knife, and sliced his palm, urging his blood and Qi to flow out.

“First, leave a Blood Pack here, then release a little Yang Qi.”

This was step one: fishing for the lawbreakers.

As expected, it wouldn’t be long before an Immortal caught the scent and came.

Lin Wu tugged his cloak tighter and trudged forward, right hand dripping blood as he walked, baiting the area with infinite patience.

Woooo—

The cold wind howled. At some unknown moment, a figure appeared atop the snowy peaks.

“Halt!”

A white-haired woman, with a celestial air, tread upon ice lotuses as she floated through the sky.

She wore a snow-white long dress, her figure graceful, features exquisite—anyone who saw her would call her an Immortal.

“This is Kunlun Snow Ridge. Who are you, and why are you here alone?”

Lin Wu’s face lit up with joy, and he bowed respectfully.

“I am Lin Wu, drawn here by reputation, seeking to join the righteous Snow Lotus Sect for cultivation. Unfortunately, I was caught in an avalanche and lost my way, then injured by a demon beast, so I…”

He finished with a hand over his chest, a trickle of blood forced from the corner of his mouth.

The woman’s long lashes trembled slightly. A faint red glint flashed in her clear eyes. Her swan-like pale neck moved as she swallowed.

This was step two: luring the enemy in.

“May I ask your illustrious name, Immortal? Are you perhaps the famed disciple of the Snow Lotus Sect?”

Seeing the youth’s infatuated gaze, the woman’s lips curled ever so slightly, as if she enjoyed the mortal’s worship.

“That’s right. I am a disciple of the Snow Lotus Sect—Yun Mengyao.”

The white-haired Immortal’s lips parted slightly, her cool voice as crisp as pearls falling onto jade. Lin Wu’s gaze grew even more awestruck.

“However, the time for new disciples hasn’t arrived this year. You’re early.”

Yun Mengyao deliberately dangled the answer, making the youth drop his head in disappointment, then changed her tone.

“Still, seeing your sincere pursuit of the Dao, I can ask my Master to make an exception and test your spiritual roots first. Come, follow me and take shelter from the storm, or you’ll freeze to death out here.”

“Thank you, Immortal Yun!”

Lin Wu was overjoyed, his body suddenly light as the White Lotus Treasure lifted him up.

Once close, Yun Mengyao bit her lip gently, her breathing becoming ragged—she really couldn’t hold back.

That’s right, in the desolate wilderness, with no one else around.

What cat doesn’t eat fish?

And to think he’d met a real Immortal!

Kindness was just their disguise—Lin Wu knew the Snow Lotus Sect’s true nature all too well.

The two returned to the summit, entering a warm stone cave, evidently the Immortal’s dwelling.

Lin Wu looked back to see Yun Mengyao’s long hair billowing, eyes blood-red, her whole body radiating an icy chill—no longer pretending.

“Little brother, you smell so good♪”

The cold and proud Snow Lotus Sect Immortal from moments before now drooled hungrily, like a snow demon ready to devour!

Lin Wu “frightened” fell to the ground, only to have Yun Mengyao pounce on him, his limbs quickly freezing over.

“Mm! Immortal, what are you doing?”

“Didn’t you want to cultivate immortality? Let me teach you.”

Yun Mengyao pressed against Lin Wu, breathing greedily, unable to suppress her thirst for blood.

Damn it, how was this boy’s Qi and blood so vigorous?

A real treasure—if she brought him to her Master, she’d be handsomely rewarded.

But before that, let me have a taste first…

“Huh?”

Yun Mengyao’s icy lips pressed against Lin Wu’s neck, sucking hard for a long time—yet she tasted nothing, not even a hint of flavor.

What the—this boy was too tough!

At the same time, Yun Mengyao sensed a blunt object pressed against her waist, growing hot.

The fear on Lin Wu’s face faded, replaced by a mocking grin.

“Exposed by the third step already? You Immortals really are easy to read.”

The ice encasing him shattered with a crack; Lin Wu broke free from the spell with ease and grabbed Yun Mengyao’s slender waist.

That flawless, delicate face finally changed—she panicked at last.

“You!?”

The finest ingredients require only the simplest cooking.

And the best hunters often appear as prey.

Skinning. Into the pot.

Lin Wu’s movements were fluid and practiced—it was clearly not his first time “handling” an Immortal.

“Khao, oh oh oh!?”

Yun Mengyao’s once-proud skin of ice and bones of jade thawed, melting into the wind and snow.

“What disgraceful sounds—you call yourself an Immortal?”

Oil into a hot wok, a stir-fry at high heat.

A tender, steaming White Lotus dish was now ready.

“Stop, who—mmm—are you!?”

Lin Wu ignored her pleas, intensifying the heat, steaming Yun Mengyao until she was crispy on the outside and tender within.

Master once said: to deal with hypocritical Immortals, return their tricks in kind.

“Brother Lin—no, Immortal Lin! Please, have mercy on me, I really meant no offense. It’s just that your blood is too tempting—khoh, khoh, khoh!”

Yun Mengyao shrieked in shame and fury. Never had she imagined she’d invite a wolf into her own den and be slaughtered in her own cave.

The most terrifying part was that this man’s Dao Body was unbreakable; all her Foundation Establishment Peak cultivation was useless!

“Playing the victim won’t work. Don’t even think of ambushing me—I know all your Immortal tricks.”

“I—I’m not!”

Yun Mengyao swore to the heavens—she just wanted a little taste.

Lin Wu feasted ravenously, not sparing any spot.

The lotus seat, jade pistil, even the crevice between the petals.

The Kunlun Ruins was such a desolate place, every mountain looked the same; finding the Snow Lotus Sect was near impossible.

After wandering for half a month, he’d finally caught an Immortal—he was truly starving.

Who knows how long passed before peace returned to the cave.

The White Lotus stained with blood, pear blossoms wet with tears.

The Immortal cowered in the corner, face vacant, eyes lifeless, throat hoarse from crying out.

Yun Mengyao had been so proud when they first met, and now she was so utterly broken, losing her most precious essence.

Lin Wu had mercilessly shredded her pure outer shell, piercing through all her defenses from the inside out.

“I ask, you answer. No nonsense. Name.”

“You already know it, don’t you?”

Yun Mengyao spat back resentfully.

“Still talking back? Want another round?”

Lin Wu rolled up his sleeves, scaring the Immortal into hugging her head.

This man had no sense of mercy—if it happened again, could she survive?

“Yun! Meng! Yao!”

“Age.”

“Eighteen.”

“Cultivation.”

“Foundation Establishment Peak.”

“Status.”

“Personal disciple of the Snow Lotus Sect, under Sect Master Mu Bingxin—[White Lotus].”

Yun Mengyao snorted softly, thinking that mentioning her Master would at least make the youth wary.

Instead, Lin Wu’s eyes lit up in delight.

“What a White Lotus—I hit the jackpot! So you’re that old hag’s newly accepted personal disciple!”

“O-old hag? How dare you! Do you even know who my Master is?!”

Lin Wu sneered, “And do you know who my Master is? Little girl, by seniority, you should call me Grandmaster! You icy Immortals’ nasty habits—I know them all.”

Grandmaster?

Yun Mengyao laughed in disbelief.

What a joke—her Master had been pure and chaste her whole life, and had only ever had one unwed Dao Companion.

They’d never even been together; that person had died protecting her in the snowy mountains, separated by life and death.

Mu Bingxin had stayed loyal to that memory ever since, rejecting countless Immortal suitors, admired by the entire cultivation world.

Yun Mengyao’s pupils contracted—suddenly she recalled the portrait hanging in her Master’s cave, and it really did look just like this man!

“You…you are? That’s impossible!”

“Guessed right, Immortal Yun. I’m the vengeful ghost who came for her. I’ve been gone so long I can’t remember the way—luckily, I met you.”

Lin Wu’s cold smile made Yun Mengyao shudder. She felt as though she’d made a grave mistake.

Want to be an Immortal and flaunt chastity? That’s Mu Bingxin all over.

How I ‘died’ back then—do you think your Master doesn’t know?