Morning mist drifted between the peaks of Qingyun Sect.
The arrival of the delegation from the Frostveil Empire had turned the usually peaceful sect into a place filled with whispers.
“That’s her?”
“The Snow Lotus Sovereign?”
“They say she defeated a Soul Transformation cultivator while still in the Core Formation Realm.”
“I heard she has never smiled.”
“…I heard she has never lost.”
Lin Qingyue walked through the stone pathways without slowing her pace.
The conversations reached her ears.
She ignored them.
Rumors had never interested her.
Yet…
for reasons she could not explain…
the woman from Frostveil Empire lingered in her thoughts.
Those eyes.
Why did they feel so familiar?
⸻
The guests were welcomed with a banquet that evening.
Long wooden tables stretched across the grand hall.
Sect Elders exchanged polite words.
Disciples admired the visitors from afar.
Lin Qingyue disliked crowded places.
She quietly slipped outside before the banquet had truly begun.
The night air was cool.
Moonlight spilled across the stone courtyard like flowing water.
For the first time that day…
her mind felt quiet.
She closed her eyes.
Then…
“…So you’re hiding here.”
A calm voice drifted through the night.
Lin Qingyue slowly opened her eyes.
Standing a few steps away…
was Shen Ruoxue.
Neither of them spoke immediately.
The silence wasn’t awkward.
It was strangely… comfortable.
As if silence had always existed between them.
⸻
“I don’t like banquets either.”
Shen Ruoxue’s voice was softer than Lin Qingyue expected.
“I wasn’t hiding.”
Lin Qingyue answered.
“I was leaving.”
A faint smile appeared on Shen Ruoxue’s lips.
“Aren’t those the same thing?”
For a brief moment…
Lin Qingyue forgot how to respond.
Then…
without warning…
both of them laughed.
It wasn’t loud.
It lasted only a second.
But neither of them understood why that simple exchange felt so natural.
⸻
The wind carried a few white flower petals across the courtyard.
One landed on Moonfall’s scabbard.
Shen Ruoxue’s gaze stopped.
“…Your sword.”
Lin Qingyue looked down.
“What about it?”
“It feels…”
Shen Ruoxue frowned slightly.
“…old.”
Lin Qingyue chuckled quietly.
“It is old.”
“No.”
Shen Ruoxue shook her head.
“I don’t mean the blade.”
“I mean…”
She hesitated.
“It feels like I’ve seen it before.”
The words hung in the air.
Lin Qingyue’s fingers unconsciously tightened around the sword.
“So do I.”
The answer escaped before she could stop herself.
Silence returned.
This time…
it wasn’t peaceful.
Both women stared at the ancient sword.
Neither knew why their hearts had suddenly become heavy.
⸻
Shen Ruoxue broke the silence first.
“May I ask you a question?”
“You may.”
“Do you ever dream…”
She paused.
“…of places you’ve never been?”
Lin Qingyue slowly lifted her eyes.
“…Yes.”
“People whose faces disappear the moment you wake?”
“…Yes.”
“Voices calling your name?”
Lin Qingyue’s breathing stopped for just an instant.
“…Yes.”
Neither of them noticed that the moon had disappeared behind a passing cloud.
The courtyard suddenly felt colder.
⸻
Finally, Lin Qingyue asked,
“Do you?”
Shen Ruoxue looked toward the night sky.
“Every month.”
She lowered her eyes.
“And every dream ends the same way.”
“How?”
“There is always someone…”
Her voice became almost a whisper.
“…walking away from me.”
⸻
For reasons neither of them understood…
Lin Qingyue suddenly wanted to say:
“I won’t.”
The words reached her lips.
Then disappeared.
Why would she promise such a thing…
to someone she had only met today?
⸻
A bell echoed through Qingyun Sect.
The banquet was beginning again.
Shen Ruoxue turned to leave.
After taking only three steps…
she stopped.
Without looking back, she said quietly,
“I hope we meet again, Senior Sister Lin.”
Lin Qingyue watched her disappear into the moonlit corridor.
Only after Shen Ruoxue was gone did she realize something strange.
She had never introduced herself.
Yet…
Shen Ruoxue knew her name.
The night breeze stirred.
Somewhere far away…
an ancient white ribbon tied to a forgotten sword fluttered gently in the wind.
***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***
Download
Like this story? Download the app to keep your reading history.
Comments