Bai Qingxue's eyelashes fluttered, her vision gradually clearing from a blur.
Before her eyes was still that low stone room. The oil lamp had been extinguished at some point, leaving only a ray of daylight filtering through the crack of the door. It cast a slanted beam onto the floor, illuminating a few dancing specks of dust.
The air was filled with a stale chill, mingled with a faint, elusive scent of medicine, and... the familiar, crisp scent of snow-soaked water that belonged to Lu Xueqing.
Turning her head slightly, Bai Qingxue saw Lu Xueqing keeping watch by the edge of the bed.
Lu Xueqing was slumped against the bedside, as if she had barely managed to fall asleep under the weight of sheer exhaustion.
Her frost-white Daoist robe was wrapped around her in crumpled folds, her hair bun was loose, and a few silver strands clung to her sweat-dampened cheek.
Deep dark circles shadowed the skin beneath her eyes. Even in sleep, her brow was slightly furrowed, and one hand still tightly clutched the corner of Bai Qingxue's sleeve, as if terrified that the moment she let go, the person before her would dissolve into blue smoke.
Bai Qingxue watched her quietly for a moment.
Memories rushed back like a tide.
The roars of the malevolent golems, the burning of the restriction, the vibration of Frost Moon Chant against her fingertips, and... those blurry yet familiar hands that had been about to touch her in the darkness.
Bai Qingxue gently moved her fingers, wanting to brush away the stray hairs on Lu Xueqing's cheek.
This slight movement, however, startled the light sleeper.
Lu Xueqing suddenly lifted her head, the lingering panic in her eyes instantly dissolving when she saw Bai Qingxue quietly watching her.
“Junior Sister Bai... you're awake,” Lu Xueqing said, her voice incredibly hoarse. She quickly released her grip on the sleeve as if burned, then reached out to feel Bai Qingxue's forehead, only to freeze mid-air, caught in a dilemma.
“Yes,” Bai Qingxue replied. Her voice was still weak, yet it had regained its characteristic cool detachment. “How long was I asleep?”
“A day,” Lu Xueqing said, pursing her lips as a trace of lingering fear flickered in her eyes. “It is already... the afternoon of the fourth day.”
In other words, there was only one day left for the exploration of the ruins.
Propping herself up with her arms, Bai Qingxue tried to sit up.
Lu Xueqing quickly reached out to support her back. The warmth from Lu Xueqing's palm made Bai Qingxue pause slightly, but she compliantly leveraged the support to slowly sit upright.
A wave of dizziness washed over her. She closed her eyes to steady herself, and when she opened them again, her gaze swept across the simple stone room.
“Where is Ning Qinghan?” she asked, her tone flat, as if she were merely inquiring about an ordinary matter.
The hand Lu Xueqing used to support her stiffened imperceptibly before returning to normal. However, her voice sank a bit. “She left shortly after you fell unconscious, saying she was going to investigate the depths of the ruins. Before she left...”
Lu Xueqing paused. Ultimately, she did not say the words “I made things unpleasant for her,” only murmuring quietly, “She told us we didn't need to wait for her.”
Bai Qingxue merely nodded, her gaze falling upon her own hand resting on the edge of the bed.
“How are the ruins?” Bai Qingxue asked.
Lu Xueqing fell silent for a moment before saying softly, “The ice caves collapsed severely, and the core area is destroyed. Although Han Muchun's attempt to use the malevolent golems failed, it still disrupted the earth veins. Now, most of the spiritual treasures have either been destroyed or completely plundered by those who came after. The people from the Northern Underworld Sword Sect and the Falling Star Pavilion... should still be searching the outskirts for remnants.”
Lu Xueqing spoke casually, yet she could not hide the desolation in her words.
What should have been a highly fruitful exploration of the ruins had now turned into a miserable, chaotic mess.
Upon hearing this, Bai Qingxue's face showed no emotion.
She tried to circulate a trace of spiritual power. Though it was sluggish and slow, she was finally able to channel it.
Bai Qingxue lifted the thin blanket and stepped barefoot onto the cold stone floor. She swayed slightly but was steadily supported by Lu Xueqing.
“I am fine,” Bai Qingxue murmured, looking down as she adjusted her slightly disheveled collar, then reached out to take Frost Moon Chant from the stone platform.
The flute felt smooth and cool to the touch, as if it had never experienced that earth-shattering clash.
Bai Qingxue tied the flute back to her waist. Though her movements were slow, she remained composed.
“Pack up, we are going out,” Bai Qingxue said, her gaze turning toward the door that shut out the outside world. “Since we came all this way, we cannot return empty-handed.”
Looking at her pale yet still upright back, Lu Xueqing's heart filled with a complex mixture of emotions.
The phrase “we didn't need to wait for her” felt like a thorn pricking at her heart.
In the end, however, Lu Xueqing merely picked up her sword in silence, checked its scabbard, and followed behind Bai Qingxue.
The stone door was pushed open, and blinding daylight flooded in, causing both of them to squint.
The world outside was no longer the frozen, desolate landscape of a few days ago.
Most of the ice caves had collapsed, with massive blocks of ice and shattered rocks strewn everywhere. Melted ice water gurgled through the crevices, carrying away the former extreme cold, along with countless potential opportunities.
Bai Qingxue walked slowly along the slippery ice path.
The two did not venture deep into the ruined core area, choosing instead to wander through the remaining ice caves on the outskirts.
The spiritual items here had indeed been mostly cleaned out. Occasionally, they could spot a few cold-attribute spiritual herbs trampled out of shape, or a few pieces of low-grade mystic ice that no one cared to claim.
Occasionally, Bai Qingxue would stop, bending down to pick up one or two still-intact Ice Heart Grasses, or a few dull-colored Cold Marrow Pearls.
Following behind Bai Qingxue, Lu Xueqing watched her slender back as she gathered those trivial spiritual items, an indescribable bitterness rising in her heart.
If not for the incident at the beginning, why would Junior Sister Bai ever care about these leftovers? Now, she had to salvage remnants from these ruins just for a few points.
And the root cause of all this... was the restriction on Ning Qinghan.
“Junior Sister Bai, this is... enough,” Lu Xueqing finally could not help but speak, her voice carrying a trace of imperceptible heartache. “Though points are important, we have already obtained the golden token. Securing a spot in the top three should be guaranteed.”
Without turning back, Bai Qingxue simply placed the last Cold Marrow Pearl into her storage bag. Her fingertips brushed over the runes at the bag's opening as she said softly, “Every extra point brings an extra bit of security. Besides...”
She paused, casting her gaze toward the collapsed area deep within the ruins, which still emitted an unstable aura.
“Besides, there might not be only these left in the ruins.”
With those words, Bai Qingxue continued forward, her frost-white robes brushing against the wet, cold ice, leaving behind a trail of shallow footprints.
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