Facing the hot spring cave, after traversing a long and winding stone corridor, Cai Zhao gradually caught whiffs of fresh icy air, seemingly seeping through tiny holes in the stone walls—this indicated they were nearing the surface.
Along the way, Cai Zhao asked the white-clothed woman how she should be addressed. She replied, "Snow Woman"—of course, this wasn't her real name, but if she clearly didn’t want to say, what could one do?
Snow Woman’s skin was unusually pale, her pupils light in color. At first glance, she appeared to be in her early twenties, but upon closer inspection, it became clear she was likely nearing thirty. Initially, her speech was somewhat halting, but after Cai Zhao asked a few more questions, Snow Woman’s words gradually grew smoother.
This was someone who had lived in solitude for a long time, Cai Zhao thought.
After walking for about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the white-clothed woman led Mu and Cai to a stone chamber. Like the earlier hot spring cave and stone corridor, the entire chamber was built from smooth, pristine hot spring stones. Outside, the world was frozen in ice and snow, yet the stone chamber was quite warm—likely due to hot springs running behind the walls.
The furnishings inside were extremely simple: two rows of stone shelves, a bed, a table, and a chair. One shelf held a few rough earthenware bowls and plates, while the other had several bundles of ancient scrolls bound with coarse hemp rope. On the stone table sat none other than the missing jade goddess statue.
Lying flat on the stone bed was a familiar figure. The moment he heard Cai Zhao and the others enter, he immediately turned to face the wall.
The instant Cai Zhao saw him, she planted her hands on her hips. "Qian Xueshen, you’re not dead! Well, since you’re alive, I’ve got a bone to pick with you—get up!"
Qian Xueshen buried his head in the fur bedding like a quail, refusing to come out no matter what.
Cai Zhao was both exasperated and amused. Mu Qingyan lifted the fur bundle threateningly. "If you keep pretending to be dead, I’ll squeeze these four little cubs to death!"
"Why squeeze them? Might as well roast them—young cub meat is tender!" Cai Zhao added viciously.
Qian Xueshen could no longer keep up the act. He scrambled up and lunged forward.
The four white-furred cubs poked their round little heads out of the bundle, sniffing. The moment they saw Qian Xueshen, they leaped out frantically and threw themselves into his arms.
"I’m sorry, I’m sorry… Xuefeng, Xuezhu…" Qian Xueshen hugged them tightly. The four cubs nuzzled his cheeks incessantly, sniffing at the familiar scent of their parents on him. The reunion between man and beasts was heartwarming.
A pang of sourness rose in Mu Qingyan’s chest. He turned away with a huff. "See, this is why we should have our own children. Ones raised halfway are utterly unreliable—these four furballs of yours, their consciences must’ve been eaten by dogs!"
"Why are you telling me this?!" Cai Zhao flushed inexplicably and quickly redirected the conversation to Qian Xueshen. "Weren’t you captured a year ago? These four must’ve been born recently—how do they know you?"
Qian Xueshen lowered his head. "...On the first night at the Hunter’s Cabin in the snow mountains, I excused myself to relieve myself and went to the snow pine forest to whistle. Xuefeng and Xuezhu knew I was there and happily brought their cubs to see me."
Mu Qingyan rubbed salt in the wound. "The couple was living peacefully on the snow mountain, having just given birth to four rather adorable cubs. A happy family of six—all ruined because they wanted to avenge you! Now these little ones are left without parents!"
Large teardrops fell from Qian Xueshen’s eyes as he choked back sobs, hugging the four cubs tighter.
"Alright, alright, stop crying. Lie down first—your injuries are serious," Cai Zhao said, unable to bear it.The Snow Woman suddenly said, "After soaking in the eternal hot spring for so long, all your injuries have healed. Didn't you notice?"
Cai Zhao was startled, only now realizing that the soreness in her muscles and the torn flesh no longer hurt.
Mu Qingyan lowered his long lashes and remained silent.
The Snow Woman continued, "Those two... those two large White Fur Hous—he saved their lives before. Consider this repayment of that debt."
Qian Xueshen abruptly looked up. "How did you know?!"
"That year, when you and your brother rescued the two White Fur Hous from beneath the ice cliffs, I happened to see it—through the crystal spyglass." She pointed to a long black tube on the stone shelf.
Mu Qingyan smiled faintly and cupped his hands respectfully. "I haven't yet thanked the lady for saving our lives. There are a few things I don't understand and would appreciate your clarification."
To his surprise, the Snow Woman shook her head. "I didn't save you. The warm spring inside the mountain carried the three of you up here. But according to my master's instructions, we're not to interfere with outside matters. If anyone washes up, we're to throw them back out."
As she spoke, she went to open a stone window, letting in a piercingly cold wind. "We're already at the mountaintop."
"Then why didn't you throw us out?" Mu Qingyan asked.
The Snow Woman pointed at Cai Zhao. "Because of her. I wanted to save her, so I left you two in the hot spring pool."
Mu Qingyan's eyes flashed. "You know who she is."
The Snow Woman nodded. "She's from Fallen Blossom Valley." Then she turned and pushed open a stone door, retrieving a dazzling golden-red blade.
Cai Zhao was overjoyed. "My saber! Thank you, Miss Snow! But how did you know—"
The Snow Woman continued, "Twenty years ago, not long after my master brought me up the mountain, I saw this saber. The woman said her name was Cai Pingshu."
"Aunt?!" Cai Zhao exclaimed in shock.
The Snow Woman: "So she was your aunt? Your faces are different, but your eyes resemble hers."
Cai Zhao grew anxious. "My aunt... what was she doing here?"
"She came for the Snowscale Dragon Beast's saliva," the Snow Woman replied.
Cai Zhao was stunned, first looking at Qian Xueshen, then at Mu Qingyan.
Mu Qingyan understood the question in her eyes—the only known uses for the Snowscale Dragon Beast's saliva were to counter the Body Transformation Art and to cultivate the first level of the Purple Star Sutra. Could there be another purpose?
"Did Lady Cai find it?" Mu Qingyan asked calmly.
"She did," the Snow Woman said. "She was fortunate—she arrived just days before the Snowscale Dragon Beast died. My master recognized her as being from Fallen Blossom Valley. No..." She shook her head. "Actually, the Snowscale Dragon Beast smelled your aunt's blood first, and then my master guessed her identity."
Mu Qingyan detected something unspoken in her words. "Miss Snow has mentioned Fallen Blossom Valley several times. Does she have some connection to it?"
"Of course," the Snow Woman said, pointing to the Jade Goddess Statue on the stone table. "My master's grandmaster came from Fallen Blossom Valley. One hundred and sixty years ago, she brought the last pair of Snowscale Dragon Beasts in the world here to live in seclusion."
Cai Zhao was astonished. She noticed the soft whip at the jade goddess's waist and touched the silver chain on her own wrist. "That's right... my chain technique was actually derived from whip techniques."
Mu Qingyan sighed. "So it was Senior Cai."To everyone's surprise, Snow Woman immediately denied it. "Our ancestor was not surnamed Cai. Her name was Gu Qingkong."
Mu Qingyan was taken aback and turned to Cai Zhao.
Cai Zhao gave an awkward smile. "Well, our family—that is, Fallen Blossom Valley—was originally surnamed Niu, then Gu, with Luo in between, and finally Cai."—Don't ask why, just know that sons-in-law who marry into the family are simply the best.
According to the records left by successive valley masters of Fallen Blossom Valley, Gu Qingkong possessed extraordinary talent, displaying remarkable aptitude from a young age. Unfortunately, she lacked Cai Pingshu's fiery passion, instead born with a solitary and solemn temperament.
As a child, she disliked playing with siblings; as she grew older, she avoided sparring with fellow young heroes, and even her bonds with her parents were tenuous. She shunned social interactions, ignored the affairs of the Martial World, and eventually couldn't stand being around anyone at all. In her free time, she either rode alone across vast distances or aimlessly drifted in a boat.
Yet, it was this least likely troublemaker who established Fallen Blossom Valley's infamous reputation as the home of the Demoness.
"My master said that back then, the spiritual energy in the world was dwindling, so cultivators turned their attention to spiritual beasts. Our ancestor couldn't bear it and thus clashed with the entire Martial World," Snow Woman explained.
She spoke lightly, but Mu Qingyan recalled coming across Gu Qingkong's name in the archives of the Nine Provinces Treasure Scroll Pavilion. A hundred and sixty years ago, this woman had turned the Martial World upside down—
Gu Qingkong couldn't understand. Just decades earlier, those spiritual beasts had fought desperately alongside humans to exterminate demons. Even if people didn't remember their kindness, how could they slaughter them so cruelly and shamelessly harvest their gall, scales, and horns for their own use?
Thus, her disdain for humanity deepened.
Strictly speaking, Gu Qingkong's "rebellious actions" couldn't be labeled as betraying her sect or the righteous path, because she simultaneously opposed all martial practitioners in the world. While many from renowned orthodox sects were beaten into the mud by her, she showed no mercy to the Demonic Cult either.
However, despite her unparalleled talent, she couldn't withstand the greed of the entire world. In the end, she could only retreat to the snowy mountains with a handful of surviving spiritual beasts, vanishing without a trace.
Cai Zhao sighed. "Ah, human greed knows no bounds. What a pity for these spiritual beasts. So our ancestor did this for..."
"No," Snow Woman interrupted. "Our ancestor never intended to save the masses. She was simply disgusted by those self-righteous hypocrites. She left instructions: if these creatures could live, let them live; when they died of old age, bury them. No need to force anything."
"Our ancestor also said that humans, being so greedy, would one day slaughter each other beyond redemption. Once they've wiped themselves out, this world will belong to the rare and wondrous beasts again."
Mu Qingyan chuckled. "Well said. Senior Gu's insight is extraordinary."
Qian Xueshen murmured softly, "My master once said something similar—everything in this world appears when it should and fades when it must. My master came to these snowy mountains repeatedly, hoping only to find the remains of those creatures, weep for them, and give them a proper burial."
Cai Zhao felt a pang of sorrow. "So now, the last Snowscale Dragon Beast is also dead?"
"Dead. Twenty years ago, the pair died one after the other from exhaustion." Snow Woman pointed below the window.
Mu and Cai looked down from the window. Beneath the endless cliff lay thick layers of ice, with a few massive white bones protruding from the snow. Presumably, the remains of various spiritual beasts were buried beneath the ice.The Snow Woman continued, "When your aunt Cai Pingshu came, the last Snowscale Dragon Beast was still barely alive, so she took the final portion of its saliva. My master and your aunt got along exceptionally well—they talked for days, until a man came looking for your aunt... Well, I didn’t see him myself, but he called your aunt ‘Ping Shu.’"
Cai Zhao: "Hmm, the only ones who’d call my aunt that are either her master or Uncle Zhou."
Mu Qingyan abruptly asked, "Miss Snow, your master is a woman, isn’t she?"
The Snow Woman looked puzzled. "Naturally, she’s a woman. Our sect consists solely of women."
Mu Qingyan gave an acknowledging hum.
Qian Xueshen suddenly lifted his head. "You and your master have a crystal far-seeing mirror, so when my family met with disaster sixteen years ago, you knew about it?!"
Cai Zhao’s heart tightened.
For the first time, the Snow Woman’s expression turned cold and surprised. She sighed softly. "It was just a coincidence. When your family met with misfortune sixteen years ago, my master and I had gone down the mountain on business."
"You live in seclusion—what urgent business could’ve forced you to leave?!" Qian Xueshen grew agitated.
"It was indeed very urgent. My master said that if we didn’t handle it, the demon in my heart wouldn’t be dispelled, and I wouldn’t be able to live in peace." The Snow Woman explained, "So my master took me down the mountain to kill someone with my own hands."
"Kill who?" Mu Qingyan asked warily.
"My own father."
Cai Zhao was stunned. Qian Xueshen froze where he stood.
The Snow Woman continued, "My father was a drunk and a gambler. When he was drunk, he beat my mother. When he lost everything, he sold his children. He’d already sold three of my siblings before me. As long as the price was high enough, he’d sell us to the filthiest places. He lost money too quickly and forced my mother into prostitution—any lowlife with a few coins could humiliate her. My mother couldn’t endure it and hanged herself. Then my father turned his attention to me..."
Cai Zhao was furious. "He’s worse than a beast!"
"Beasts are actually quite honest. They stop when they’re full and protect their young." The Snow Woman said calmly. "I met my master when she came down the mountain to buy salt and tea. I begged her to save me."
"Sixteen years ago, my master took me down the mountain for revenge. I ripped out my father’s spine and hung it from a tree. He screamed for three days and nights before dying in agony. Every villager who had ever wronged me or my mother—I chopped off their hands and feet, every last one of them. By the time my master and I returned to the mountain, the Tao hunter’s family halfway up had already burned to the ground."
The stone chamber fell into silence.
Qian Xueshen slowly sat back on the stone bed. He had thought his own suffering was unbearable, but the Snow Woman’s past was even worse. Though the Tao family had been slaughtered, they had lived in harmony and joy while alive. Whenever he thought of them, his heart was filled with warmth.
Someone like the Snow Woman truly had a heart like still water, with no attachment to the mortal world.
Suddenly, everyone felt a violent tremor. The stone house shook, and the ground quaked beneath them.
The Snow Woman stood calmly. "No need to worry. This isn’t an earthquake."
"Then what is it?" Cai Zhao braced herself against the stone table.
"It’s that giant emerald-eyed serpent," the Snow Woman said. "It’s naturally afraid of heat. After being washed by the hot springs for so long, it must be furious—throwing a tantrum underground."
Mu Qingyan pressed a hand against the stone wall, frowning. "Why do I feel like the tremors are getting closer?"The Snow Woman said, "You're not wrong. Giant serpents thrive in the cold—the colder the place, the more comfortable they are. The coldest spot on this snowy mountain is the summit. Before, it didn’t dare come up here because its natural enemy, the Snowscale Dragon Beast, kept it in check. But now that the Snowscale Dragon Beasts are extinct, over the past twenty years, it has climbed higher and higher."
Cai Zhao gave a bitter smile. "I thought we’d shaken off that stinking snake. Turns out it’s now the king of the mountain."
"In that case, we should leave the mountain immediately," Mu Qingyan said calmly.
Cai Zhao nodded. "Right, right. Qian Xueshen, and Miss Snow, let’s all go together."
The Snow Woman shook her head. "You go ahead. I will never leave this mountain."
"If you stay, sooner or later, that giant serpent will eat you!" Cai Zhao grabbed her arm.
The Snow Woman looked slightly surprised. "Humans can eat snakes, so why can’t snakes eat humans? Dying here is fine. My master once taught me a saying: 'You are not a fish; how do you know the joy of fish?' Miss Cai, you’d do best not to meddle."
Cai Zhao was at a loss.
Mu Qingyan took her hand and prepared to leave.
"Oh, one more thing." The Snow Woman suddenly turned back. A moment later, she emerged from the inner room carrying an egg the size of a pumpkin, its milky-white shell mottled with patches of varying shades. "Take this down the mountain with you."
"What is this?" Cai Zhao asked.
"A Snowscale Dragon Beast egg," the Snow Woman replied. "It’s been lying here for years, refusing to hatch. My master and I tried everything—soaking it in hot springs, roasting it over fire, burying it in snow, even sleeping with it… We don’t know if it’s dead or not, but there’s been no movement at all."
"The Snowscale Dragon Beast clan had ties to our sect, after all. Rather than let the giant serpent eat it, Miss Cai, you might as well take it back to Fallen Blossom Valley as a decoration." Without waiting for a response, the Snow Woman placed the egg in Cai Zhao’s hands.
Cai Zhao stared blankly at the large egg in her palms.
The Snow Woman then brought out the Bright Sun Blade and laid it flat atop the egg. "Alright, off you go now. Be careful on the way down—don’t drop anything."
Cai Zhao looked utterly bewildered.
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