Outside the flower-patterned window, the night rain poured steadily.

Rain threads drifted with the wind, drumming on the countless halls and palaces with their glittering glazed tiles, sometimes light, sometimes heavy, sounding like shattered jade.

He Qingqing lay on the cold jade bed as Immortal Lady Jiang Yun gently pressed her pulse point, continuously channeling spiritual energy into her body to keep her conscious and her spirit focused.

This also made He Qingqing’s senses more acute.

“So this is what it sounds and feels like when a knife slowly scrapes against bone,” she thought.

All pain sensations were amplified.

A layer of blood mist covered her vision. She could vaguely see the old monk changing knives, changing needles, and sprinkling medicinal powder, but couldn’t see clearly.

Sometimes it was extremely itchy as if thousands of ants were gnawing at her facial skin, sucking her flesh and blood. If she hadn’t been restrained and unable to move, she would have torn her face off.

Sometimes it was extremely painful, as if a sharp needle had pierced between her bones and was still drilling through them. If Jiang Yun hadn’t placed a silence spell on her, she would have screamed out loud.

Tonight was too long and too dark for her.

She had been pushed into a mine shaft by her fellow disciples, scolded by her master, and suffered countless cuts, but she hadn’t shed a single tear.

“Even suffering in the eighteenth level of hell probably wouldn’t be worse than this,” He Qingqing thought. “I am a ghost crawling out of hell. A ghost crawling into the human world to live as a human from now on!”

“Bang!” The flower window was blown open by the strong wind, and cold wind mixed with rain poured into the sleeping palace.

Amid the hazy blood-red light, He Qing Qing’s thoughts inexplicably shifted, and her heart of stone softened slightly—

The rain was so heavy; what was Brother Song doing now? Had the flower trellis in his courtyard been blown down by the wind?

The pain continued, and she had no more strength to think further.

Who knows how long it lasted, seemingly longer than ten thousand years. A pair of cool, soft hands held her palm, and a woman’s voice spoke tenderly and lovingly:

“It’s done. Sleep now, sleep.”

He Qingqing was finally released, her consciousness instantly sinking into darkness.

In the darkness, a light gradually appeared, illuminating a family of three.

The woman had gentle eyes like water and a faint fragrance; the man had a resolute face and broad shoulders.

The little girl with double buns was lovely as jade and snow, lively: “Mother, I want more rice cakes.”

The woman held her hand: “From now on, we’ll eat rice cakes every year on your birthday, alright?”

The man picked her up with one sweep: “Qingqing, look at the lantern Father bought for you! Let’s go release river lanterns.”

Suddenly the lantern shattered, and all its brilliance extinguished.

In the pitch-black demon’s cave, a woman with only half her upper body remained cried out desperately: “Qingqing, live on, live on!”

Midnight Manjusri was covered in blood, with huge rocks collapsing behind him and monsters roaring.

In blood and fire, the entire world shook.

The deity-like young man in black clothes looked down at her with an indifferent expression and extended his hand: “Come with me.”

That hand was engulfed by the sea of fire.

The fire turned into a dazzling vermilion color, transforming into the vermilion-lacquered small door of Song’s courtyard.

Song Qian Ji, bathed in silver moonlight, holding the Green Ripple Platform, stood under the peach blossom tree, smiling gently at her.

The handsome youth’s voice was clear and gentle: “I give you this zither as compensation.”

The night wind scattered his voice, blowing across the rippling pond water.

Immortal Lady Jiang Yun walked through crowds of people, her expression serious: “Are you willing to be my disciple?”

He Qingqing extended her hand with all her strength—

Her fingertips touched only the cold water surface, and those reflections, along with the peach blossoms covering the tree, all shattered.

The cold lake water flooded over her nose and mouth as she sank into deeper darkness.

She couldn’t grasp anything.

No one in this world can save another from the sea of suffering; each person must guide themselves across.

He Qingqing suddenly opened her eyes.

Daylight shone brightly, and birds chirped.

She rose from the jade bed and stepped down, surprised to find her body extraordinarily light, as if she could fly after taking just two steps.

He Qingqing touched her face; the skin was smooth and delicate. However, her room had never had mirrors, and reflective objects were rare.

The summer sunlight shone brilliantly, the vegetation was lush, and birds sang in competition.

He Qingqing, with her hair loose, ran to the lotus pond.

Red lotuses bloomed in full splendor, covering the sky, uniquely gorgeous.

She slowly approached and lowered her head, hesitant like someone approaching their hometown. The fish in the water hid, and the water’s surface reflected a figure—

Hair like a waterfall, a full forehead, phoenix eyes with slightly upturned long eyebrows, a straight nose, and lips naturally red without rouge.

If Miao Yan’s face was like clouds on the horizon or a silver lotus in water, floating with soft radiance without any aggression,

Then this face was like the sharp blade of a knife in the moonlit night, like a proud red plum blossom in snow.

Beauty is as sharp as a blade.

Each cut was deadly and drew blood, making people afraid to look directly.

With such beauty, she shouldn’t be wrapped in a white dress with loose hair.

She should be dressed in a six-foot elegant dress trailing on the ground, her head adorned with pearls and precious ornaments, dazzling with splendor.

He Qingqing smiled, and the beautiful woman in the water smiled too.

She reached up to gently touch her cheek, her eyes growing moist, the tip of her nose reddening.

“Worth the thousand cuts indeed!” Immortal Lady Jiang Yun’s voice sounded from behind.

He Qingqing turned suddenly.

“Amitabha.” Old Master Wuxiang said: “Immortal Lady He has a resilient character and great wisdom. Having survived a great calamity, she will surely be blessed.”

Jiang Yun smiled and nodded.

The old monk said softly: “This poor monk has two things to say to Immortal Lady He in private.”

“Please proceed, Great Master.” Jiang Yun naturally agreed.

He Qingqing faced “Miraculous Hands Divine Monk” Wuxiang and bowed again: “Thank you.”

“The Immortal Lady and this poor monk have a predestined connection; there’s no need for thanks. This is a gift for you, congratulating the Immortal Lady on her rebirth.”

He Qingqing reached out to receive it and looked down carefully.

It was a string of red spirit jade prayer beads, eighteen dark red beads that were delicate and transparent.

In the bright sunlight, they gleamed brilliantly, with patterns inside the beads resembling flowing blood.

He Qingqing rotated the prayer beads, and the two middle beads successively revealed clear engravings.

She opened her red lips and read softly: “Qing, Qing.”

This was not just a top-grade magical tool but also a carefully prepared gift. He Qingqing was delighted: “It’s my name!”

The old monk nodded with a smile.

“If the Immortal Lady is willing, this poor monk would like to pass on a cultivation technique that can double the power of this object.”

He Qingqing hesitated: “I’ve already received such great kindness from you, with no way to repay.”

The old monk slowly said: “We aren’t masters and disciples, just forming a connection in this mortal realm. This poor monk had already planted a seed of connection, but that person’s fate has changed, and the connection with this poor monk will soon be broken. By learning my cultivation technique, you fulfill my wish, which would repay the kindness of treatment.”

The old monk spoke very plainly.

Because of this directness, He Qingqing no longer refused and smiled gracefully: “Thank you, Great Master!”

The old monk’s eyes were as distant as a deep pool. From beneath the wide sleeve of his kasaya, he extended a finger to gently touch the young woman’s brow.

At this moment, He Qingqing straightened her back and raised her head slightly.

She believed this was the heaven-sent opportunity that came after all her suffering.

…

“Sister Jiang Yun, what do you mean?”

In the Peony Hall, Immortal Lady Wangshu laughed lightly. Her smile was still beautiful but somewhat forced.

“I mean exactly what I said.” Jiang Yun’s face was expressionless: “Previously, I had no personal disciple, so many tasks were temporarily handled by others. Now that I have a personal disciple, according to sect tradition, my disciple is the head senior sister and should rightfully manage the Teaching Hall, instruct all junior sisters and brothers, supervise the mining of spirit stone veins, and keep the key to the top floor of the Ten Thousand Sounds Pavilion.”

Wangshu drew in a sharp breath, suppressing her displeasure: “Sister, that child Qingqing is still young, has just joined the sect, and isn’t familiar with our sect’s rules. Besides, she has just regained her appearance and needs time to rest and recover. Previously, the scriptures in the Teaching Hall were managed by Liao Hua. Why don’t we ask her to…”

Immortal Lady Jiang Yun interrupted: “Liao Hua violated sect rules and has just been summoned to the Crystal Palace by Qingqing. She can’t come.”

Immortal Lady Wangshu lightly furrowed her moth-like eyebrows. They quickly smoothed out as she discreetly looked behind her.

Behind her stood Miao Yan.

Today, Miao Yan wore a long lake-blue dress with a flowing cloud hairstyle, which accentuated her snow-white skin and flower-like appearance, giving her an ethereal elegance.

After the “Grand Meeting” zither competition, Wangshu hadn’t shown Miao Yan any favor.

But Miao Yan was still her most outstanding personal disciple.

Junior disciples’ affairs should be resolved by juniors themselves; it wasn’t dignified for elders to intervene.

Moreover, Miao Yan had a clear advantage over He Qingqing, so there was nothing to worry about.

Miao Yan caught her master’s glance and left understandingly.

Wangshu smiled with satisfaction.

Jiang Yun had come with ill intentions, and she needed to be fully alert to deal with her.

…

In the Crystal Palace.

Numerous outer sect disciples stood on both sides of the great hall. He Qingqing sat alone on the high platform, with seven or eight female cultivators standing in the hall below.

One woman’s voice was sharp and high-pitched, loudly defending herself: “The head senior sister has no evidence. How can you wrongly accuse us? Are you bullying us junior disciples?”

Their cultivation and talents weren’t outstanding, but they came from high backgrounds and were skilled at forming cliques. Calling themselves “junior disciples” was quite a stretch.

The outer sect disciples standing at the sides of the hall wanted to laugh but didn’t dare.

They didn’t know why He Qingqing had arranged for them to summon these arrogant troublemakers, only hoping that this “head senior sister” could truly maintain authority. Otherwise, after today, they would likely be the ones to suffer.

He Qingqing quickly walked down from the high steps.

“Slap!” A crisp sound echoed throughout the great hall.

The young woman covered her face in shock, pointing at He Qingqing: “You, you!”

All the women were stunned.

“Speak the truth,” He Qingqing said calmly.

“How dare you hit me? Even my master has never hit me!”

“The head senior sister has the authority to discipline all disciples on behalf of the masters.” He Qingqing said: “You taught me this rule yourselves, have you forgotten?”

The young woman’s face flushed red, her aura exploding outward, rushing upward, but it was as if she had hit a wall, causing her to fall to the ground.

She was shocked—He Qingqing must possess some extraordinary treasure!

Jiang Yun must have given her some supreme protective treasure that made her aura comparable to the Golden Core realm.

The women quickly exchanged glances, just wanting to delay for a moment until Immortal Lady Wangshu came to rescue them.

The young woman put on a grieved expression: “Head Senior Sister, I didn’t do anything. You accidentally fell into the mine shaft, and everyone was looking for you everywhere, so worried…”

“Slap!” Another heavy slap landed, making her lips bleed and tears flow.

“You still dare to lie.” He Qingqing said coldly: “Bai E, I remember your face.”

As she raised her hand again, Bai E cried out shrilly:

“It was Senior Sister Liao Hua who told me to push you!”

“Shut up!” Liao Hua commanded.

Seeing He Qingqing turn and walk toward her, her face turned pale, trembling like a sieve, putting on a fierce exterior despite her inner fear, shouting:

“You dare to hit me too? Do you know who my aunt is?”

Just at that moment, a servant announced loudly:

“Immortal Lady Miao Yan has arrived—”

All the women instantly sighed in relief, but He Qingqing ignored this, and her slap still landed heavily.

Liao Hua’s body flew backward and fell to the ground.

Miao Yan’s eyes swept over the chaotic scene in the hall, and she knew she had arrived at just the right time. He Qingqing must have already vented her anger.

Now that her anger was satisfied, the matter shouldn’t be difficult to resolve.

She first bowed to He Qingqing, her posture appropriate, her attitude humble:

“I have neglected my duty to guide them. I don’t know how my junior sisters have offended the head senior sister, but I apologize on their behalf. Today I will take them back, and in the future, I will strictly discipline them. If they offend again, they will be severely punished.”

The woman’s eyes suddenly brightened. They could anticipate that if they were rescued today, they would be eternally grateful to Miao Yan.

The lower Miao Yan lowered herself to them now, the more solid their loyalty would be in the future.

Miao Yan knew that He Qingqing yielded to gentleness but not to force. Surely changing her face couldn’t have completely transformed her temperament?

She displayed a smile: “I hope the head senior sister will consider that they are young and ignorant, and also look at this junior sister’s face, spare them just this once.”

She didn’t continue, but everyone knew what she wanted to say.

“You want me to look at your face?” He Qingqing looked at her.

Miao Yan simply smiled without speaking.

The face was face.

Miao Yan had the most beautiful face in the world; no one disliked looking at her face.

But as He Qingqing looked at this face now, she found it extremely bland, like a bowl of clear soup without salt.

She was even confused about how her former self could have been so deceived by this mere appearance, working for another’s benefit.

He Qingqing calmly said: “I taught you the complete ‘Wind and Snow Battle Tune.’ That was already considering your face, don’t you know?”

Hearing her suddenly mention this tune, Miao Yan’s smile slightly stiffened.

“After the zither competition, if you truly sought guidance, you should have come to me yourself. Why did you invite me to your bamboo tower? If you truly wanted to invite me, you could have invited me alone. Why did you bring a group of people to support you? Because you knew that with so many eyes watching, I couldn’t lose face and wouldn’t be able to refuse you.”

Miao Yan’s smile completely disappeared, not out of embarrassment, but out of astonishment.

She had long been accustomed to acting this way, achieving her goals without deliberate planning, doing it as naturally as blinking or breathing.

Suddenly having someone expose and point this out, how could she not be shocked?

Miao Yan smiled again, speaking softly: “The head senior sister misunderstands. I only thought that as you had just joined the sect, you should socialize more with everyone…”

He Qingqing interrupted: “You obtained the complete score, said that a solo on the seven-stringed zither was too lonely, and adapted it for ensemble performance yourself, yet still used the incomplete score. Regarding this tune, do you dare say you truly have no guilt in your heart?

“Immortal Lady Miao Yan, you’re not a bad person, but you’re not a genuine person either. I’ve already looked at your face enough in the past, and I don’t want to look at it anymore in the future.”

Had she gone mad? Daring to speak such words to Senior Sister Miao Yan?

Miao Yan’s servant glared but was intimidated by He Qingqing’s overwhelming aura and couldn’t speak.

Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, the female cultivators anxiously cried out: “Save me, Senior Sister Miao Yan!”

Miao Yan did not hear, only stood in shock, as if she had been heavily slapped twice.

Would you dare to slap the most beautiful face in the world?

He Qingqing had.

Miao Yan fled in disarray.

She hadn’t walked away so embarrassed for many years.

“My lady, how could you just leave like this?” The servant was still unwilling.

“She’s right. About the incomplete score, I do feel guilty,” Miao Yan said lightly.

“But I shared the incomplete score not because I feared others would play better than me. I just didn’t want others to know the ending notes of the zither tune.”

“The Wind and Snow Battle Tune” was like a story. Miao Yan wanted everyone to hear this story but didn’t want to tell anyone the ending.

This was her private desire.

Miao Yan stopped for no apparent reason and suddenly turned back to look.

The scene inside the hall was almost indistinguishable now.

After regaining her appearance, that young woman remained slender, her waist so thin it could be grasped with one hand.

Yet she was like an incomparably sharp knife, determined to cut through all the impurity in the world, to make a clean break with the past.

Miao Yan murmured: “How am I inferior to her? Why did she get this tune first? Why did she know the ending first?”

“My lady, you are ten thousand times better than that evil ghost. She—” The servant had wanted to curse the other’s ugliness but couldn’t in good conscience, so changed her words: “Her face may be like lotus, but her heart is like a snake and scorpion.”

Miao Yan ignored this, only saying in a daze: “Every time I play it, I can’t help but wonder, how could there be such a tune in this world? What kind of person could compose such a tune? I wonder what they look like, whether they’re male or female, what clothes they like to wear, what cultivation techniques they practice, what books they read.”

“My lady, you…” The servant wanted to speak but hesitated.

Miao Yan looked toward the clouds at the edge of the sky:

“Today I see that this tune has become an illusion in my heart. I must meet the composer, fulfill my wish, and break this illusion.”