Ice and Snow Hall fell back into silence. Xuan Yi leisurely finished the Nine-Nine Returning Origin Tea in her cup, scooped up a handful of white snow, and began unhurriedly sculpting little snowmen again.

The one with a silk ribbon tied in his hair was Fucang, the meticulous one was Gu Ting, the one wearing a jade crown was Tai Yao, the one with a jewel hanging from his forehead was Shaoyi. The one with a tall and slender figure was Fu Luo, the one wearing red flowers by her ears was Zhi Xi, the one with dimples on her face was Yan Xia.

On the first day, she had already met seven of Imperial Lord Baize’s disciples.

Xuan Yi enthusiastically placed Gu Ting beside Fu Luo, thought for a moment, then also placed Shaoyi beside Fu Luo. Next was Yan Xia, placing her beside Shaoyi. Fucang and Gu Ting were on the same side, so she moved them closer together. Zhi Xi and Gu Ting’s relationship seemed quite good, so she might as well place her beside Gu Ting too. Yes, Tai Yao was the peacemaker, so he went at the end.

She stared at the seven snowmen for a long time, then pinched off a piece of white jade pastry and took a bite.

The relationships here were truly intricate and complex.

Xuan Yi arranged these little snowmen this way and that, playing with great enjoyment. Suddenly, she accidentally knocked off snowman Fucang’s head. She couldn’t help but laugh softly.

“What makes you laugh?”

Imperial Lord Baize’s voice appeared behind her without warning. Xuan Yi gave a slight start, and the little snowmen on the ice table immediately shattered into snow powder.

Xuan Yi looked regretfully at the table full of snow powder: “Oh dear, I worked so hard to sculpt them.”

Imperial Lord Baize coughed and said indifferently: “Your master has arrived yet you don’t bow in greeting, only regretting those few snowmen?”

Xuan Yi gracefully bowed down, her voice respectful: “Disciple Xuan Yi pays respects to Master.”

Imperial Lord Baize nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping around, a trace of a smile appearing on his childish face.

“Your courage is quite considerable.” His words couldn’t be discerned as well-meaning or malicious.

Xuan Yi looked at him innocently: “This disciple’s heart dislikes the name Tongjing Hall, and the paulownia trees also make this disciple feel anxious and confused. With no other choice, I could only cover it with ice and snow. I beg Master’s forgiveness.”

Imperial Lord Baize laughed once: “Whether I forgive or not, you’ve already done it. This recklessly bold temperament is quite unlike your father.”

Seeing the ice chair was crystal clear and distinctive, he couldn’t resist sitting on it. He casually picked up the teapot on the ice table and shook it. The tea inside had been drunk, so he could only regretfully put it back down.

Xuan Yi pretended not to notice his actions and said with surprise: “Has Master met my father?”

This vindictive little brat. The White Emperor secretly shook his head: “This seat has seen him, though he never saw this seat. When he was your age, this seat saw him once from afar—both shy and sentimental, only busy chatting with a newly acquainted goddess.”

Xuan Yi raised her eyebrows but said nothing.

“This seat has also heard of your mother’s affairs.”

With his sudden mention of Mother, the smile on Xuan Yi’s face gradually faded.

“Such a tragic matter cannot escape connection to your father’s amorous temperament.” Imperial Lord Baize lightly poked at the snow powder on the table with his finger. “This seat heard that when the divine clan of Tongshan injured your mother, you were right there beside her?”

Xuan Yi looked at him quietly, her voice cold: “If Master has some purpose, please speak directly.”

Imperial Lord Baize smiled reassuringly: “This seat merely finds this matter rather strange. The Tongshan clan are only minor gods—how would they dare oppose the Zhuyin Clan? Your mother was in any case the wife of Imperial Lord Zhongshan. If something happened to her, how could the Imperial Lord let it pass?”

Xuan Yi said absently: “Perhaps they were possessed by demons.”

Seeing she didn’t want to discuss these matters, Imperial Lord Baize fell silent for a moment before speaking gently again: “Today you met many senior martial brothers. What are your impressions?”

Xuan Yi tilted her head and thought: “The senior martial brothers and sisters are all very amiable. They truly live up to being Master’s disciples.”

Imperial Lord Baize smiled: “Since they’re all amiable, why are you staying alone in this ice and snow instead of going to have lively fun with them?”

Xuan Yi covered her face, saying shyly: “Actually, this disciple is also naturally timid and shy, too embarrassed to laugh and talk with the senior martial brothers.”

Imperial Lord Baize laughed heartily, stood up and walked several steps toward the exit, then suddenly said: “For the past several thousand years, it was Shaoyi who rang the bell at the bell tower at dawn. Now you are the most junior in seniority, so from now on, you will go to the bell tower to ring the bell at dawn every day, starting tomorrow. Don’t forget, or you’ll be punished.”

“This disciple respectfully obeys Master’s command.” She answered crisply and decisively.

Imperial Lord Baize paused for a moment, sighing lowly: “What a troublesome little thing. This seat is old and wanted to live a few peaceful days. I shouldn’t have taken you in…”

Without waiting for Xuan Yi to respond, his figure flickered and vanished into the ice and snow.

Xuan Yi tapped her finger lightly on the ice table. The scattered snow powder instantly gathered together, and she began slowly sculpting flowers again.

From the extreme distance, occasional bursts of laughter and conversation drifted over, just not clearly audible, coming in segments before finally everything fell into silence.

So quiet—even the sound of the wind was so clear. She sat alone and isolated deep in the ice and snow, using her fingernails to carefully carve a platycodon flower, its bell-like flower buds and slender veins. When the flower was finished sculpting, she gently tossed it down, as if this could somehow block out those omnipresent blood-red colors.

Imperial Lord Baize did it on purpose, didn’t he? Making her live in Tongjing Hall, then coming to say a bunch of this and that, testing her reactions? Or perhaps just satisfying his desire to pry into others’ private affairs?

What the reason was no longer mattered. He had already successfully made her feel less happy.

She didn’t know how much time passed. The snow-white ice platycodon flowers had already piled up half a person’s height. Xuan Yi blew gently, and they once again turned into snow powder, scattering across the ground.

In the distance, voices of laughter and conversation gradually approached. It was faintly Goddess Zhi Xi’s voice: “Master loves purple sun flowers the most. Of the three hundred courtyards in Mingxing Hall, this flower is planted most abundantly, growing along both sides of the paths, making it much more convenient even for finding one’s way. Here at this corner, there are two clumps of green bamboo—the path going east leads to the bell tower, and over there is Tongjing Hall… Huh?”

Accompanying a surprised exclamation, a group of celestial gods wreathed in auspicious radiance all stopped outside Tongjing Hall, now thickly covered with ice and snow, looking inside with surprise and doubt.

“How did Tongjing Hall become like this?” Divine Lord Gu Ting was extremely astonished. “Is there a disciple living here?”

Yan Xia laughed: “Yes, the newly arrived junior martial sister was arranged by Master to live in Tongjing Hall. I heard she’s a descendant of the Zhuyin Clan, which is why she covered Tongjing Hall completely with ice and snow, right? It looks so beautiful!”

Zhi Xi quietly looked toward the ice and snow-filled Tongjing Hall for a moment. Seeing that little princess of the Zhuyin Clan sitting alone in the ice and snow as if in a daze, while by comparison, their side was full of pleasant laughter and exceptionally lively—earlier when Yan Xia called her, she also didn’t come—Zhi Xi’s heart suddenly felt a bit guilty and unable to bear it. This made it seem as if they were truly ostracizing a colleague.

She stepped forward and said clearly: “Princess Xuan Yi, we are leading Junior Martial Brother Fucang on a tour of the three hundred courtyards of Mingxing Hall. Would you be willing to come along?”

Xuan Yi glanced at them indifferently, slowly stood up and said: “It’s fine for me to go, but if he leaves, then I’ll go together.”

Her gaze fell on Fucang beside Gu Ting. His eyebrows rose slightly as he looked back at her expressionlessly.

Zhi Xi frowned: “What do you mean by this? We’re all colleagues—how can there be such favoritism?”

Xuan Yi said indifferently: “Then please, senior martial brothers, continue to favor him while slighting me. I need to rest now. Please take your time leaving, all you senior martial brothers.”

With a sweep of her long sleeves, two great ice and snow doors closed with a thunderous boom, shutting this group of celestial gods radiating random auspicious light outside. Annoying—her mood was already bad, yet they just had to come touch her bad luck.

The disciples were all stunned by her arrogance and discourtesy. After a long while, Gu Ting angrily said: “What kind of attitude is this! No need to bother with her. Let’s go!”

He turned and left with quick steps. The disciples discussed for a while, then could only follow and leave as well.