Lin Wu spoke with a cold expression, “I order you to open all the treasure chests immediately.”
“Ah, this… isn’t that a bit much, Master?”
Qiu Ming was so terrified that her legs went weak, and her face turned pale.
The Lord Holy Son did not look like he was here to provide resources; he looked like he was here to take her life!
The previous generation’s Red Lotus Saintess had been a ruthless character who reached the Ice Lotus Realm by plundering the foundations of her fellow disciples. Who knew how many Red Lotuses she had devoured alive?
The ten halls’ offerings each had their own ways of skimming off the top. Jacking up prices to get kickbacks to supplement their household expenses was a standard practice.
If a thorough investigation were truly conducted, who could guarantee their hands were clean?
“Every time a treasure chest is opened, it is automatically recorded in the ledger. Sect cultivators are strictly forbidden from stealing what they guard. If the merit accounts don’t match, the next time you see me, it will be in the Ice Prison!”
“Isn’t that a coincidence? That area is under my jurisdiction now. I promise to keep you well-fed and plump.”
Lin Wu suppressed a smile and patted the blood slave’s shoulder, continuing to tease the Immortal Qiu.
Qiu Ming was slightly older. Her seductive facial features might not have been exceptionally striking, but her charm lay in her mature elegance.
Beneath her clean robes, a pair of bulging red lotuses were like round bamboo shoots in dry land, plump and succulent.
“How about this? Qiu Ming previously received a fragment of the Heavenly Yin Cold Ice Palm from an Elder’s inheritance. This is also the only half-volume Earth-grade manual I possess. I will hand-copy a version for you to look over first, and I will think of other ways for the rest?”
Qiu Ming pleaded in a low voice, not daring to act out.
Lin Wu rubbed his chin.
He had originally intended to find a random excuse to teach the lazy Immortal Qiu a lesson.
To think there would be an unexpected harvest?
“Very well. This Holy Son will personally grind the ink for you.”
The two of them immediately stepped into the private cultivation room. Since it was a hand-copied version, Lin Wu was not about to be careless.
The ingredients were brought to the table, held with a steady hand.
“Observing the snow to understand the divine charm… *guyi*! Listening to the ice to comprehend the—*oh-hoo-hoo-roar*—Primordial Beginning!”
The ink stick pressed against the inkstone, firing ice to melt spirit, grinding finely.
???
Qiu Ming gasped in shame, her face full of questions.
May I ask what kind of ink you are grinding?
“Be serious. Don’t make strange sounds!”
“Yes, Master.”
Qiu Ming’s face was red enough to drip blood. The hand holding the brush would not stop trembling, and she wanted to cry but had no tears.
Then stop interrupting me!
“Frozen Spring Swish-Swish-Swish Heart-Rinsing Sword… Empty Mountain Buried—*oh-ho-ho-ho-ho*—Book!”
The inkstone became slightly moist, and the ink stick was like a clay ox entering the sea, instantly vanishing into the black tide.
“Buried what book? Don’t think you can skip through this by raising your voice. Start over. I require clear handwriting and neat formatting. Honestly, you’re an Immortal, not some child from a neighboring hall. Do I have to teach you even this?”
“I’m… *wu*… sorry!”
Qiu Ming felt like dying. She wished she could swallow this bastard in one mouthful.
In this manner, it took a full 4 hours to copy a fragment of less than 1,000 words. The condensed power of the brush strokes soaked through the yellow paper.
It was not until the fourth time, when Qiu Ming’s voice had gone hoarse, that Lin Wu nodded in satisfaction and took the half-volume of the Heavenly Yin Cold Ice Palm.
“Now that’s more like it.”
In those short 4 hours, it felt as though 3 days and 3 nights had passed.
Qiu Ming’s eyes were vacant, her red robes were soaked, and her long hair clung to her face. Her entire person looked as if she had just been fished out of the water.
Her jade palace was also whistling, with more air going out than coming in.
She hadn’t had a single bite of food. Instead, she had endured a beating with a rod while reciting her self-reflection out loud, and she had even been forced to spit out her most precious treasure.
What kind of earthly torture was this!?
If Xia He knew her junior sister was in an even more pathetic state, she would probably laugh until her mouth went crooked.
The cold night was sparse with stars. When Lin Wu left Qiu Ming’s hall, the weather had indeed worsened significantly.
‘It seems this Holy Son really has some tricks up his sleeve. When the leaders are corrupt, the subordinates follow suit. The Snow Lotus Sect is rotten to the core. I’ll go to other vampire hideouts to collect protection fees another day…’
Before dawn the next day, Lin Wu finished digesting the karma from his robbery. He opened his eyes to the sound of the cold wind knocking on his door.
The one who came to summon him this time was not a disciple from the Winter Spirit Hall, but the Elder herself.
Dong Ling stood proudly in the snow, dressed in red. Her bony figure seemed weightless, leaving no footprints behind.
Lin Wu found it amusing. He had only been delayed at Qiu Ming’s hall for 4 hours, and as expected, he was being watched. He spoke respectfully, “What matter requires Senior to come personally?”
“You’re asking the obvious.”
Dong Ling’s cold face was complex, filled with frustration and a hint of resentment. She was still thinking about the Sect Competition.
He had promised to remember her kindness, but in the end, the boy had just patted his butt and left.
He had let Senior Sister Qing Han pick up a huge bargain for nothing!
“Hmph. The Holy Son lingers on Goddess Peak and refuses to take his post. The Sect Master feared you wouldn’t know the way, so she specifically sent me to take you to take over the Ice Prison!”
“My fellow disciples were so hospitable that I couldn’t refuse. I only delayed a few days to recover from my injuries. Then I shall trouble Senior to lead the way.”
Lin Wu smiled and cupped his hands, though he cursed inwardly.
Want to give me PTSD?
Let’s see who breaks first today!
***
Thousands of mountains stood tall in the Kunlun Snow Range, with Goddess Peak being the most prominent among them.
From a distance, it looked like a heavenly maiden draped in cloud-mist ribbons, worshipping the firmament.
On the lower peak, the Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter Treasure Pavilions surrounded the Green Lotus Dojo. The inner halls of the upper peak were divided into the four foothills of North, South, East, and West.
The Ice Lotus Cold Palace where the Sect Master resided bloomed at the “heart” of the Goddess. To its left and right were the Cold Rain and Qing Han Disciplinary Halls.
Lin Wu followed Dong Ling as they flew through the air, resisting the biting cold currents at the peak. Only then did he discover a hidden cave at the “mouth” of the Goddess, which seemed to be the entrance to the Ice Prison.
He really didn’t know the way. During his last failed escape, he had woken up locked in a greenhouse and used as a meat reishi mushroom. He had been completely numb back then.
The two of them ducked into the dark grotto one after the other, descending into the belly of the peak.
There were mysteries within, appearing as though it were bottomless.
The Hanyuan Ice Prison was a forbidden area of the Kunlun Ruins. In the eyes of the world, it was shrouded in mystery. Its danger level could be ranked in the top three of the entire cultivation world.
Some said it was a pure land on earth that surpassed the ten minor blessed lands and four great grotto-heavens. Others said it was the end of the world leading to the Frozen Demon Hell.
Even the disciples of the Snow Lotus Sect did not know much about it, but no one felt curious, because any fellow disciple who went in had never been seen coming out again.
Lin Wu stepped on a jade ruler and wound his way downward. His vision was limited in the darkness, so he released his divine sense to perceive his surroundings.
Soon, the tunnel ahead opened up.
The mouth and belly of Goddess Peak connected to the Kunlun Earth Vein. The Hanyuan Ice Prison was hidden beneath the vast earth.
The surrounding air grew increasingly frigid. That familiar feeling returned, making one’s skin crawl.
Dong Ling suddenly slowed her flight speed and lowered her voice to offer some kind advice.
“Boy, don’t be ungrateful. I don’t need to tell you how the Sect Master has treated you. But first you fooled around with Yun Mengyao, and then last night you stayed at Qiu Ming’s hall for a long time without reason. Do you really think she is blind?”
This was clearly a question with an obvious answer!
“Senior is mistaken. Fellow disciples should support each other. If you were thirsty, Senior, Lin Wu would be more than happy to repay the favor of your recognition.”
Lin Wu drew a bit closer, the cynical smile still on his face. His flirting caused Dong Ling to retreat in terror.
Setting aside blood, she wouldn’t dare touch anything belonging to the Sect Master even in her next life.
“Fool! Don’t you understand yet? You look very much like an old friend, which is why the Sect Master looks upon you with favor. Everything you have now is thanks to that person. If you continue to act with such misplaced arrogance, be careful not to end up dead without a burial place!”
Lin Wu smiled faintly.
As Mu Bingxin’s confidante, Dong Ling knew some of the story but not all of it.
She might be a bit worldly and biting, but she wasn’t a bad person. Her immortal aura was far inferior to his two gluttonous senior sisters.
The underground was filled with white mist and heavy cold tides.
A black stone cliff became dimly visible ahead. The two of them landed on a hanging platform.
“I’ve said all I can. Weigh your options carefully and decide which path to take.”
Dong Ling stopped with a cold face, signaling for the youth to proceed alone. Someone was waiting for him.