3 The Hawk in Waiting

Snowflakes fluttered down from the horizon, draping the thirty-six peaks of the Wan Shu Sect in a silver cloak, turning the entire landscape into a pristine white. Cultivators did not feel the chill that the snow brought, yet they delighted in watching the magnificent spectacle of falling snow. As the foremost sword sect in the world, Wan Shu Sect stood on par with imperial palaces and royal courts. When the first snowfall arrived, villagers at the mountain’s base could witness countless sword auras rising, dyeing the drifting snow in brilliant hues—a sight unique in all the world.

Beyond the main peak, many disciples’ gazes lingered more or less on a quiet girl standing beneath a plum tree. Snowflakes drifted through the branches, settling on her dark hair and delicate eyelashes. Her skin was pale with a subtle rosy tint. Though not strikingly beautiful at first glance, her entire face carried an inexplicable sense of comfort and refinement. Standing silently, she drew attention without speaking, her beauty growing more captivating the longer one looked.

In recent days, disciples of the sect had noticed something strange: the junior sister, Jiu Wu, who often followed the young master Xuan Yi, had not appeared with him for quite some time. Even during morning cultivation sessions, she took a seat at a distance from the young master, as if she no longer cared to be near him.

Jiu Wu had been with the sect for decades, and for all those years, whenever the young master appeared, she was always by his side. Never before had she distanced herself so.

From the main peak’s council hall emerged several figures, among them a handsome young man cloaked in heavy furs. The snowy white collar framed his ethereal appearance, adding an extra layer of chill to his aura.

“Young Master Xuan Yi’s cultivation is profound, but because he was born with sword bones that fear the cold, Jiu Wu always hunts beasts in winter to make fur garments for him. Could the fox fur he’s wearing today be one she hunted?” a disciple whispered to a companion.

“Most likely. Jiu Wu is truly thoughtful. If only I had a woman who cared for me like that...” The other sighed wistfully.

Jiu Wu withdrew her gaze and smiled bitterly within. Over the years, she had gifted Xuan Yi many fur garments—except for this one. He had never worn what she gave him.

Her fingers brushed the snow and frost on the plum branches, the cold causing her index finger to curl slightly. The ice and snow of winter would melt come spring, but the frost in Xuan Yi’s eyes remained unchanged over decades—bitingly cold.

An elder in purple robes descended the jade steps nearby and teasingly addressed Jiu Wu, who was gazing absentmindedly at the branches. “Little Jiu Wu, coming to look for your senior brother again?”

No sooner had the words fallen than he felt a chill down his spine. Xuan Yi’s gaze was calm and unreadable, yet it inexplicably sent shivers through him.

Another young elder, Jin Zhuo, sharply grabbed the purple-robed elder’s neck. “You talk too much!”

Though these two were officially high-ranking elders of Wan Shu Sect, they secretly served as Xuan Yi’s guardians. Everyone knew of Jiu Wu’s feelings for Xuan Yi, and equally well knew of his indifference toward her.

“Jiu Wu is such a good girl; what’s wrong with giving a greeting?” The purple-robed elder waved his hand at Jiu Wu and quickly stepped beneath the snow-laden plum tree.

“Little Jiu Wu, the young master is about to return to Wuwang Peak. Will you go with him?”

Before Jiu Wu could answer, she caught sight of the white-cloaked figure surrounded by followers. He seemed not to intend to wait for her reply, never even glancing in her direction before leaving.

In the past, she would have followed without hesitation—even without the purple-robed elder’s prompting.

But now...

“No,” she said quietly.

The attentive disciples nearby heard her clearly and exchanged glances. It seemed Jiu Wu truly no longer intended to revolve around the young master.

The white figure paused, and Jin Zhuo beside him called out, “Purple Robe, what are you dawdling for? Let’s go.”

Jiu Wu clenched her sleeve tightly, holding back for a long time, but couldn’t help stealing a glance toward those narrow eyes amid the swirling snow.

At that moment, a system voice sounded softly in her ear.

“Beep. Detection of abnormal phenomenon intrusion. Initiating source detection—”

“Beep. Detection failed. Activating shielding mode!”

“Shielding mode activated.”

Jiu Wu ignored the system’s noisy chatter, calmly nodding slightly to Xuan Yi before turning away.

Xuan Yi raised an eyebrow. For the first time in many years, when their eyes met, he heard no annoying babble nor perceived any overt intentions directed at him.

He withdrew his gaze with a slight curl of his lips. This was good.

Cultivation was also cultivation of the heart. If she could remain as composed as she was now, it would be a blessing both for her and for Wan Shu Sect.

“Sigh. Ten years of drinking ice has finally cooled a warm heart. Do you think Little Jiu Wu has really let go of the young master?” the purple-robed elder mused, stroking his chin.

He was still unaccustomed to Jiu Wu no longer tailing the young master for the past half month.

Xuan Yi glanced sideways at him. “If you have too much free time, why not sweep the sect’s mountain paths?”

The purple-robed elder lowered his head, gesturing to keep quiet.

The group gradually disappeared into the vast whiteness. Jiu Wu reached out and snapped off a melting branch. “First snow, truly a fine day.”

A few disciples, cheeks tinged with a faint blush, approached her, “Junior sister Jiu Wu, you like the snow season too? I also love it. May I invite you to the mountaintop to enjoy the view together?”

Jiu Wu looked at the speaker for a long moment, though she couldn’t recall his name. Smiling warmly, she replied, “Thank you, senior brother, but I have other matters. Maybe next time.”

Rebuffed but not angry, the youth stared dreamily after her until his companions pulled him away.

Jiu Wu remained where she stood, her gaze fixed on the most ordinary-looking person in the crowd. She immediately identified him as an infiltrator from an evil sect sent by the female protagonist to sow trouble—precisely because his disguise was so utterly unremarkable.

Cultivators who had opened their spiritual roots had all undergone the purification of their meridians. Regardless of gender, all had a desire to look beautiful. Those admitted to Wan Shu Sect were outstanding talents capable of controlling the timing of their pill forging. Once pill forging was completed, their appearance no longer changed, so they chose to do so at their peak beauty. In decades at Wan Shu Sect, Jiu Wu had never seen anyone with such an ordinary appearance.

Most likely, this evil sect member was afraid of attracting attention and had deliberately assumed such a plain face.

The sect’s disciples had never imagined that someone would dare risk their life to cause trouble at the world’s top sword sect, so no one suspected him.

The first snowfall marked the day the male protagonist descended the mountain and the female protagonist unleashed the Nightmare Poison.

For the past half month, she avoided getting close to Xuan Yi partly because his cultivation and sharp perception were too formidable; she feared he would detect the differences within her. Secondly, she wanted everyone in the sect to know she had let go of him, so that if he disappeared, no one would suspect her.

Jiu Wu crushed the plum blossom petals between her fingers, indifferent as she watched the infiltrator among the disciples suddenly reveal a vicious countenance and recklessly stir chaos—utterly foolish. With such shallow acting skills, how did he lure Xuan Yi down the mountain? Before the news even reached Xuan Yi, he would be executed.

Leaning against a tree with her arms crossed, Jiu Wu thought it didn’t matter. To avoid unnecessary complications, she had helped him a little.

Suddenly, the ground trembled violently, “thud, thud, thud,” as if a colossal beast was approaching.

Everyone’s faces changed, even the evil sect infiltrator, whose eyes showed a flicker of fear.

“You scoundrel of the evil sect! You dare release a millennium-old demon beast from the Mysterious Realm? Aren’t you afraid of dying yourself?”

The infiltrator instinctively opened his mouth to deny but suddenly found himself unable to speak and could only flee in panic.

“Host, was that demon beast your doing?” the system asked, though it had already concluded that only the host, who had absorbed millennia of demonic energy, could open the realm and summon such a terrifying monster.

“Yes, this evil sect fool is too stupid. I gave him a hand,” Jiu Wu admitted without denial.

“But host, with the sect master in seclusion and the elders far from here, these disciples cannot hope to defeat the beast. If it goes berserk, innocent lives will be harmed!” The system spoke faster, its tone tinged with urgency.

“If they can’t fight, can’t they run? They have legs. Are there really fools willing to wait here to die?” Jiu Wu said unconcernedly.

She looked toward the east. This commotion was enough to draw him here.

The infiltrator’s legs shook. The disciples had no time to care for him and scattered in all directions.

Frozen in shock, the infiltrator suddenly heard a beautiful yet eerie female voice: “Idiot, aren’t you running?”

He snapped out of his stupor, his body dissolving into black mist as he fled down the mountain...

At the same time, the enormous demon beast appeared atop the main peak, baring sharp fangs. Each step caused the earth to quake violently, and the foul drool dripping onto the snow reeked of blood.

“Host, you’ve gone too far. How can you treat lives like a game?” the system scolded sternly.

Jiu Wu chuckled lightly. “I was never kind. Didn’t you know that when you bound yourself to me?”

No sooner had she spoken than the system cried out. She turned to see a half-grown child dressed in outer sect disciple robes fall to the snow, the demon beast opening its massive jaws.

Jiu Wu frowned. Why was an outer sect disciple here?

Annoyance crept into her brow as she watched the beast’s fangs inch closer to the child...

Just then, a streak of light fell from the sky, and the child vanished from the spot.

“Thank you, big brother,” the child wiped tears and clung tightly to Xuan Yi’s neck.

“Host, using innocent lives as pawns makes me deeply disappointed,” the system muttered and fell silent.

Jiu Wu stood rooted in shadow, watching Xuan Yi patiently allow the child’s dirt to smudge his pristine fox fur cloak. His expression held no irritation; instead, he softly comforted the child.

Had she done wrong?

She was stuck in a quagmire, desperate to grasp the only light in her life. What fault was there in that?

Moreover, none of these people were harmed...

Xuan Yi was the highest-ranked young cultivator in the sect. His Frostmoon Sword had slain countless demons. Now, his swordsmanship rivaled even the reclusive sect master. He appeared only briefly, holding the outer sect child, and with just his sword, subdued the demon beast.

He handed the child to the purple-robed elder, who accepted the charge respectfully.

“Young master, could this demon beast also have been released by that illusion demon to lure you down the mountain...” Jin Zhuo frowned and spoke softly so only the two could hear.

Had the system heard this, it would surely widen its eyes and reread the “Immortal Dao” volumes. Unfortunately, the system was so angry with Jiu Wu that it had blocked itself...

Jiu Wu watched the two closely but could not catch their words.

Xuan Yi’s cold, composed gaze turned to the demon beast. “If she had such power, she wouldn’t have needed to poison me.”

“This matter is too suspicious. Young master, you should avoid descending and risking yourself. Besides, you still carry the Nightmare Poison...” Jin Zhuo said with concern.

“If I can eradicate the succubi in the Endless Abyss, this trip won’t be in vain. Don’t rush to find me. Since the illusion demon seeks me out, I won’t be in danger for now. Report the demon beast incident to the Elder Council. Investigate who broke the Mysterious Realm barrier,” Xuan Yi said calmly.

Having spoken, he transformed into a streak of golden light, heading toward the direction the evil sect infiltrator had fled.

Jin Zhuo’s worry did not ease. The demon beast’s appearance made him feel something was slipping beyond control.

He and the purple-robed elder had guarded the young master closely and recognized the illusion demon’s identity when she appeared. Her name was Huan Yao, a chaotic demon, younger sister to the succubi entangled in the vines.

Five thousand years ago, the succubi had instigated a war between human and demon clans but were sealed into the Endless Abyss by the sect’s ancient immortal. Though silent for five millennia, recent movements suggested she was stirring again. Many sect disciples had been abducted by demon sects, their disappearances always near the Abyss’s edge...

The illusion demon sought the young master’s sword bones to rescue the succubi. The young master had his own aims: to find the succubi’s hiding place in the Endless Abyss.

Jin Zhuo ordered the demon beast’s corpse moved and headed toward the Elder Council.

No one noticed that in a shadowed corner, Jiu Wu vanished into thin air...