"What is this?"
The man's cold, arrogant gaze slowly shifted to her left ear, his deep voice carrying a solemn weight.
A rough fingertip brushed against her earlobe, sending a shiver through her entire body.
"Reporting to My Lord... it's just a pattern. Girls in my hometown always tattoo this design beneath their earlobes." Fortunately, Arabic numerals were still unknown in this era.
"Oh?" The man stared directly into her eyes, and she met his gaze without a shred of fear. A moment later, the man released her, flicked his sleeve, and vaulted back atop the Golden Phoenix.
"Third brother, what about this Mystic Tiger?"
Injured though it was, it would recover with a period of recuperation. Most importantly, younger sister's mission had been fulfilled.
The man in cyan was just smiling in satisfaction when a flash of white light cut through the air, and a mist of blood burst across the sky.
The Mystic Tiger was torn to shreds, its bloody remains scattering in chunks across the snow.
The Golden Phoenix raised its head in a long cry, spread its wings wide, and soared sharply into the sky.
Liu Rumeng raised an arm to block the swirling wind and snow, catching the fading dialogue from midair.
"Third brother, you owe me a Mystic Tiger! I don't care, you're the one who has to answer to younger sister!"
"Couldn't even defeat a mere woman—so utterly useless, what good is it?"
The voices grew more and more distant until they vanished completely.
Liu Rumeng lowered her hand, her palms slick with cold sweat.
The man's cold, haughty gaze seemed to linger before her eyes.
This man was simply too formidable, or perhaps... she was simply too weak.
If spiritual power could truly reach such a terrifying level, she would seriously need to rethink her future.
She stood up, walked over to the carcass of the Mystic Tiger, bundled up the large chunks of meat, heaved them onto her back, and began the trek home.
Back at the house, Liu Rumeng cleaned the meat thoroughly and boiled a large pot of stew.
When Mother Yang asked about it, she claimed she had simply stumbled across it by chance. She knew Mother Yang didn't believe her, but she didn't care; the day would eventually come when Mother Yang realized she was no longer Yang An.
After finishing her meal, Liu Rumeng returned to her room.
She immediately checked the red thread on her body, but since that day, it hadn't changed at all. Correspondingly, her blocked meridians had not opened up even once more.
Frustration flared within Liu Rumeng. She couldn't understand where things had gone wrong.
Could the Black Spirit Ointment have lost its effect entirely?
Liu Rumeng was lost in thought.
A soft cooing sound came from outside the window. Liu Rumeng reined in her breath, stood up, and pushed the window open.
Erxue was waiting outside, biting down on a book. Seeing her open the window, it eagerly thrust the book toward her.
"Well done." Liu Rumeng offered a few words of praise and took the book.
It looked ancient and worn, clearly having been leafed through frequently.
Words were written across the pages, but she couldn't read them. Opening it, her eyes immediately fell upon an illustration of a very bizarre creature.
Liu Rumeng flipped through a few pages and a sudden wave of realization washed over her.
She had instructed the Snow Demon to fetch some materials to help her familiarize herself with this world, never expecting that Erxue would simply steal a complete compendium of spirit beasts for her.
In this world, spirit beasts and humans coexisted. Spirit beasts could harm people, but they could also be harnessed by them, while humans used spirit beasts to display their status—just like the phoenix-like creatures those two men had ridden earlier today.
Spirit beasts were categorized into various ranks. First-rank spirit beasts, such as the Snow Demon, were the lowest tier and the easiest to capture and tame; anyone with spiritual power above the first stage could catch them. To put it simply, they were the beginner-tier starter pack of a video game, meant purely for practicing.
Moving up a level, second-rank spirit beasts required at least second-stage spiritual power to subdue. Such beasts were typically violent and eccentric by nature, widely disliked by the populace, who hunted them down to strip their pelts and make decorative items displaying their prowess. The clothes she had been wearing when she first woke up were made from the fur of such beasts; garments of this kind were ubiquitous throughout the Yang Estate, representing the most basic and common form of winter wear.
By extension, the higher the rank of a spirit beast, the greater the difficulty of taming it. And the Mystic Tiger she had encountered today was...
She flipped through the pages and finally found the illustration of the Mystic Tiger on the sixth page.
Her gaze dropped to the text below, which read clearly: Fourth-rank divine beast, violent by nature, transforms upon tasting blood, possesses immense strength, delights in the company of ghost rabbits, eating its flesh increases spiritual power, drinking its blood drastically alters one's temperament, resides year-round in cold and harsh regions, adept at concealment, difficult to capture, can be ridden if tamed, and when blood-fed by its master, it can serve as a flying mount.
Blood-fed?
Liu Rumeng hurriedly flipped ahead and finally found the explanation for blood-feeding.
It turned out to be an extremely dangerous method with an exceptionally low success rate. Simply put, the master used their own blood and spiritual power to alter certain attributes of a spirit beast, molding it to suit their own will. A blood-fed spirit beast would become far more obedient to its master; there was even a rumor that spirit beasts fed on chaotic-tier blood would undergo a physical transformation, with their exact form depending on the tier of the blood used.
So such a method actually existed.
She wondered if her own blood would work. She was actually tempted to get a flying mount just to try it out—it would make traveling so much more convenient, allowing her to catch a "flight" at a moment's notice.
Wait.
Fourth-rank?!
She had actually traded blows with a fourth-rank spirit beast for so long today!
No wonder those two men had worn such meaningful smiles; they must have seen right through her lies from the very beginning.
However...
Liu Rumeng closed her eyes and quietly tried to circulate her qi once more. It was still sluggish, and every attempt at regulation brought an uncomfortable sensation to her body.
Yet today, she had managed to fight a Mystic Tiger for so long while relying on these blocked meridians. Did that mean even without spiritual power, she still had a chance to survive in this world?
Meanwhile.
High above upon the Golden Phoenix, the two men conversed.
"Third brother, you've been silent the entire journey back. Could it be that you've taken a fancy to that woman?"
The younger man's lips curved into a playful smile.
Those eyes of hers had appeared docile and submissive, but the stubborn pride hidden in their depths could not escape his gaze. Inside that frail, withered body dwelt a proud soul.
Seemingly delicate, yet harboring needles beneath the silk—it made one wonder what kind of sight it would be if she were to strip away that fragile facade.
Interesting. Truly interesting.
"Third brother!"
"Hmm?" The man in white snapped out of his reverie.
"What are you daydreaming about?"
The man in white raised the corners of his lips in a meaningful smile. "Naturally, something interesting."
"It's rare indeed to see you make a face like that. Ah, but this isn't the time for that. What about that Mystic Tiger..."
Nagged the entire way, the man in white finally grew impatient. A flash of white light appeared in his palm, and the Heavenly Cloud Lock materialized, coiling around his fingers.
"You wouldn't dare?! I'm your second brother!" Was he going to tie him up again?
Instead, he watched as the Heavenly Cloud Lock slowly lifted into the air and suddenly plunged downward. A moment later, it returned, binding a snow-white rabbit.
The rabbit's paws and ears shimmered with a translucent glow, its eyes shifted unpredictably, and its fur was a pristine, flawless white.
"Could this be... a sixth-rank divine beast, the Heavenly Rabbit?!" This Heavenly Rabbit was worlds apart from the ghost rabbit. Ghost rabbits were naturally greedy, and their cultivation simply couldn't compare to that of a Heavenly Rabbit.
Heavenly Rabbits were cunning by nature, exceptionally skilled at concealment and disguise. Even though it was a sixth-rank beast, its speed was blindingly fast, making the capture of a single one as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
The man in white reached out and took the Heavenly Rabbit, and the Heavenly Cloud Lock dissolved into a streak of white light that vanished between his fingers.
The Heavenly Rabbit nestled into his palm with absolute docility, showing not a single trace of its ferocious and cunning nature.
"Third brother, you..." The unsaid words hung heavy in the air.
He had relied purely on instinct to locate the Heavenly Rabbit's hiding spot across this vast expanse of land—his cultivation was truly unfathomable.
"Younger sister should like it." The man in white tossed the Heavenly Rabbit over.
"Why didn't you give it to her yourself?"
The other man curved his lips. "I naturally have more important things to do."
***
Meanwhile, Liu Rumeng was intently reading the ancient book in her hands.
Page by page, she gained a general understanding of these spirit beasts. The higher the rank of a spirit beast, the greater its capabilities. For instance, the fifth-rank Snow Eagle possessed extraordinary hearing and exceptional vision, and people used it for reconnaissance work, while the seventh-rank Azure Tiger could transform into dozens of different shapes...
Liu Rumeng continued flipping forward. After reading so much, she still hadn't found any mention of the golden phoenix ridden by the two men earlier that day.
She had already guessed it was no ordinary creature, but she had already reached the eighth-rank section without finding its illustration, which showed just how terrifyingly high the cultivation of the person who could control it must be.
"Coof, coof~"
The Snow Demon started calling out from outside the window again.
Liu Rumeng got out of bed and pushed the window open.
Sanxue was hopping around on the snow, biting down on a black cloth pouch.
Where had it stolen this from now...?
She hadn't told them to go stealing things. Was she accidentally raising a pack of petty thieves?
Liu Rumeng took the pouch and examined it closely.
Dark patterns were embroidered onto the fabric, and neither the workmanship nor the style looked like anything an ordinary person would use.
Sanxue was still hopping about, waiting for praise. Liu Rumeng scooped it up into her arms, only to notice some strange powder stuck to its fur. When she rubbed it between her fingers, the powder still gave off a faint, glowing sheen.
Giving it little thought, Liu Rumeng offered Sanxue a few words of praise, set it down, and untied the cloth pouch.
The items inside were few, but every single one of them was worth a fortune.
Suddenly, a dragon-shaped jade pendant slipped out from the pouch.
The pendant was entirely white, warm in texture, and of the finest grade.
Liu Rumeng examined it and saw a name engraved upon it: Nan Liefeng.
Nan Liefeng...
A laugh suddenly bubbled up inside her. Wasn't this none-other than her dear older sister's fiancé?
Years ago, she had unwittingly meddled in the engagement of the two, which was why she had been banished by her father to this desolate wilderness.
Yet she clearly remembered that her dear sister hadn't liked this Young Master Nan at all. It was her sister who had secretly sought out Yang An, pleading with her to disrupt the wedding on the day of the ceremony. At the time, Yang An was ostracized by everyone and held an awkward status; when the sister she had always admired suddenly begged for her help, how could she refuse? So she had blundered into being used, ended up driven away to this barren wasteland, and ultimately lost her life right here.
Oh, Yang An, Yang An. Should you be called foolish, or kind?
Since they owed you a debt, I have no need to feel any guilt.
Liu Rumeng put the jade pendant away and noticed a piece of paper pressed against the bottom of the bag.
She skimmed through it quickly.
A look of derision flashed through Liu Rumeng's eyes.
It turned out to be a love letter written by her good sister to Nan Liefeng, clearly specifying a time and place for a rendezvous.
Liu Rumeng found it all quite amusing. Back then, her sister hadn't wanted to marry Nan Liefeng yet had egged her on to cause trouble, and now she was writing letters to invite him out. Her dear sister was truly starting to look like a first-class lotus flower.
Liu Rumeng folded the paper away, pondering for a moment before a cold glint rose in her eyes.
***
Meanwhile, within the Yang Estate.
The maidservants were attending to Yang Yiwan with utmost care.
Yang Yiwan sat before the vanity mirror, meticulously admiring her delicate and pretty face.
Her looks were entirely inherited from her mother: fair skin, red lips, eyes brimming with moisture, she looked just like a fairy descending from the heavens.
Back then, her father had proudly held her up as the supreme treasure of the Yang family.
Yet what they didn't know was that there was another pretty face hidden within the Yang Estate—except that face was like a precious jade buried in dust, long obscured by withered skin and a sallow complexion.
Even so, the first time Nan Liefeng laid eyes on Yang An, he had been struck speechless by her beauty, and ever since, he couldn't get her out of his mind, even harboring intentions of breaking off his engagement to marry Yang An instead.
If she hadn't caught wind of this information through Nan Liefeng's subordinates and arranged things in advance to banish Yang An to the Realm of Ice and Snow, that Yang An would probably already be the young mistress of the Nan family by now.
Yang Yiwan stroked her own face, a flash of ruthless intent crossing her eyes.
Yang An, you just stay right there in peace. I want to see how a ruined, riddled-thing like you can possibly make Nan Liefeng's heart flutter now.
At that moment, a maid accidentally stuck a hairpin in crookedly.
"Clumsy hands, what use do I have for you?!" Yang Yiwan's personal maid, Chen Bi, suddenly snapped in a cold voice, frightening the young maid so badly that she dropped to her knees and began kowtowing and begging for mercy.
Yang Yiwan waved a hand. "Forget it, she didn't do it on purpose."
"Thank you, Miss! Thank you, Miss!" Tears of gratitude streamed down the young maid's face.
"What's your name?"
"Replying to the Miss, my name is A-Qing."
Yang Yiwan reached out, personally helping her to her feet with a gentle tone. "Don't be afraid. Come, help me fix my hair again."
A-Qing was deeply moved. To encounter such a mistress was truly her good fortune.
When her hair and makeup were complete, Yang Yiwan looked at her dazzling reflection in the mirror and smiled gracefully.
"If Father asks, just tell him I went out to tour the back mountains."
Yang Yiwan walked out of her chambers, and Chen Bi hurriedly followed.
"Go fetch Father's mount."
"Yes, Miss."
When the maid led the mount over, it was a pure white Mystic Tiger.
This Mystic Tiger was the very beast Nan Liefeng had caught for her back in the day. To curry favor with the Nan family, Yang Zhengchun had replaced his original mount, an Azure Tiger, with this Mystic Tiger.
Later, when the incident with Yang An occurred, relations between Yang An and the Nan family had soured, but Yang Zhengchun had continued to keep this mount, all in the hope of eventually making amends with the Nan family.
This time, choosing it as her mount for the rendezvous was also driven by a desire to butter up Nan Liefeng, in hopes that he would remember the old days.
Everything in order, Yang Yiwan suddenly chuckled. "That maid just now was called A-Qing?"
Chen Bi understood instantly. "My mistress is merciful, but such servants cannot be spoiled. I've already sent her away to the Realm of Ice and Snow. Isn't there still a fourth young miss locked up there..."
Yang Yiwan cast a glance her way.
Chen Bi hurriedly corrected herself. "Just send her to serve that bastard, then."
Yang Yiwan shook her head. "We shouldn't be so crude. She is my younger sister, after all. Even though her birth is unprincipled and she did such outrageous things, in my heart I've always regarded her as a sister. Sending someone to look after her is only proper."
"Miss is magnanimous, it was this servant who spoke out of turn."
The surrounding servants also dropped to their knees one after another. "Miss is magnanimous."
A trace of disdain flashing in her eyes, Yang Yiwan rode off on the Mystic Tiger amidst the chorus of her servants' praise.
The Mystic Tiger galloped through the sky, and Yang Yiwan took the opportunity to survey the landscape below.
"True to its name, the Realm of Ice and Snow is truly desolate." Having flown for so long, she had only spotted a single guard's hut, with nothing else in sight save for vast expanses of white snow.
With Yang An dropped here, whether she could even survive was a question in itself.
Let alone making Nan Liefeng's heart flutter.
"Miss, look, that's the house she lives in right ahead."
Yang Yiwan looked in the direction Chen Bi was pointing and indeed spotted a humble little cottage standing in solitary isolation amidst the white snow.
"Who knows if she's even alive or dead."
"She's probably dead already. I asked Song Sanniang just a moment ago, and she said Yang An was plagued by severe illness and likely couldn't hold on much longer."
Triumph flickered in Yang Yiwan's eyes, though her tone remained one of pity. "How pitiful for my sister, dying in a place like this without even a spot to be buried."
"Miss is benevolent! What is that Yang An thing anyway? If she had died in the Yang family, it would have brought shame upon the household. Dying out here is practically her good fortune!"
Yang Yiwan let out a light laugh.
"Miss, look, it's Young Master Nan!"
Yang Yiwan raised her head.
In the distance near the mountain peak, a figure was riding a Fire Phoenix. Clad in flaming red, blazing like fire itself, he was just like the man himself—wicked and arrogant.
Yang Yiwan's heart hammered against her ribs, and she hurriedly urged her mount to speed up.
***
Nan Liefeng was the youngest son of Lord Nan and deeply favored by him.
Lord Nan was a veteran of countless battles, a founding pillar of Hong Country respected by His Majesty. Aside from Nan Liefeng, all of Lord Nan's four sons held major positions of power at court; only Nan Liefeng possessed a wild and untamed disposition, disliking restrictions, which was why he had never entered official service.
Even so, Lord Nan favored this son above all others simply because Nan Liefeng's spiritual power had broken through the second stage at birth—an exceedingly rare occurrence across the entire Tianwei Continent.
Over the years, his spiritual power had broken through new stages year after year, and by now, he had become the second most powerful person in terms of spiritual power, second only to Lord Nan himself.
In this world where martial prowess reigned supreme, the strength of one's spiritual power directly dictated their status, making Nan Liefeng a heavily contested figure among various families.
Secretly adjusting her makeup, Yang Yiwan finally arrived before Nan Liefeng.
Close up, Nan Liefeng's handsome yet fierce facial features were even more breathtaking.
"Liefeng, you've waited long." Yang Yiwan lowered her head, her voice gentle.
"Why did you ask me to come here?" Compared to Yang Yiwan's eagerness, Nan Liefeng appeared somewhat impatient.
Ever since their engagement was disrupted and Yang An was exiled to the Realm of Ice and Snow, Nan Liefeng had held no fondness for the Yang family either. If Yang Yiwan hadn't claimed in her letter that there was an emergency, he wouldn't have come.
"Liefeng, I know you're still angry. It was my fault for being careless, not knowing that my sister held such a deep misunderstanding against me. If I had known she hated me for taking Father's affection, I should have urged Father to visit her more often."
Hearing the name Yang An, Nan Liefeng's expression shifted slightly. "Was she truly banished here?"
After all this time, he was still thinking of her.
A surge of hatred swept through Yang Yiwan's chest, but she sighed. "I begged Father for a long time back then, but Father felt that my sister harbored a vicious mind despite her youth, so he banished her here and even forbade me from visiting. Who knows how she's doing now?"
Nan Liefeng turned his Fire Phoenix, glancing down before his eyes suddenly lit up, making a move to fly downward.
Yang Yiwan hurriedly called out to stop him. "Liefeng, you mustn't!"
"Why?" Nan Liefeng halted, impatience flashing in his eyes.
He still remembered that fleeting glimpse in the garden back then; that stunning face hidden beneath the bamboo hat had haunted him ever since.
Even after he was forced by circumstance to marry Yang Yiwan, he still couldn't forget that face—only for things to turn out like this.
He had come looking for Yang An back then, but the terrain of the Realm of Ice and Snow changed every year, and he hadn't managed to find her, eventually assuming that Yang Zhengchun had lied to him and sent Yang An away to some other place.
"Liefeng, Yang An has a fierce and unyielding temper. If you were to see her in such a down-and-out state, she would probably be heartbroken."
Nan Liefeng mused, "You really are good to her."
"She's my sister, of course I care about her." Yang Yiwan suggested, "Why don't I go call her out and try to talk some sense into her."
Nan Liefeng nodded, pulling back his Fire Phoenix to hover at a distance.
Watching him retreat, a look of jealous resentment crept into Yang Yiwan's eyes.
In truth, she harbored her own private motives. Choosing to meet here was precisely to let Nan Liefeng witness Yang An's current state so he could finally sever his lingering attachments; and since Chen Bi had mentioned that the girl might already be dead, that would be even better.
"Come with me to call her out." Yang Yiwan beckoned to Chen Bi, and the two of them flew downward together.
The Mystic Tiger landed on the snow, and Yang Yiwan instructed Chen Bi to go summon her.
Chen Bi strode up to the cottage door and knocked without a moment's hesitation.