The Heavenly Frost Nation has high, mountainous terrain. Lu Xingzhou thought its coldness might not be entirely due to some ley line, but likely related to both its high altitude and mountainous nature. Most of the continuous mountain ranges outside Shadow Moon City are occupied by the Shadow Moon Sect. Their “sword from all peaks” style is far grander than the current Heaven-Traveling Sword Sect. To find “uninhabited mountains in the suburbs,” one would have to go quite far in the opposite direction…

As they flew along, Ye Tinglan felt that Lu Xingzhou had lost his mind, and she was equally foolish for going along with it. On such a freezing night, they were just asking for trouble, traveling so far simply to brave the wind. But after they reached the mountain peak, Ye Tinglan’s mood brightened. The night sky was clear and utterly silent. Pine trees and rocks on the mountaintop were dusted with a light frost, shimmering with a pure radiance in the moonlight—a truly beautiful sight. Lu Xingzhou stood by a pine, looking up at the frost; his tall and elegant figure, like a pine tree covered in snow, further enhanced the picturesque scene.

Standing on the peak, gazing into the distance, the remote mountain ranges were shrouded in night, like slumbering giants. Below, the scattered lights of Shadow Moon City twinkled, reflecting the stars and moon above. Although these myriad lights belonged to the mundane world, the scene was more profound than when she had previously watched the stars alone from the stargazing platform. A mountain breeze swept past, bringing a biting cold that, paradoxically, sharpened her mind. It was as if her worries were momentarily scattered by the wind, leaving no trace. The wind carried the gentle rustle of pine needles, a soft murmur that further enhanced the tranquil and pleasant atmosphere of the mountaintop at night.

This was precisely the scene she had always sought, yet in her daily meditations on the stargazing platform, she had never quite managed to experience the beauty she pursued. Perhaps her mind was too burdened with concerns, leaving her unable to appreciate the beautiful scenery before her. Or perhaps observing the boundless night alone had only left her with a sense of loneliness and wistfulness. Only now, despite the stillness being the same as countless other nights, the feeling was different from before… perhaps simply because there was someone else beside her.

She stood at the cliff edge, gazing at the view, while he stood by the pine, gazing at her. His eyes held a smile, his expression gentle. And so, the night itself seemed to grow softer. Despite his harsh words about trials, qualifications, and punishment, a full stick of incense burned down, and neither of them spoke a single word. Ye Tinglan suddenly felt a pang of panic. She realized she was truly enjoying the quiet presence of his company; it felt especially reassuring.

“You…” Ye Tinglan spoke with some difficulty, reluctantly breaking the gentle quiet. “What are you looking at?” Lu Xingzhou finally replied, “I’m looking at a painting.”

“What painting?”

“Snowy Night Listening to the Waves.”

Ye Tinglan abruptly turned her head to look at him. Lu Xingzhou casually lowered his gaze to Shadow Moon City in the distance. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” She didn’t know if he was referring to the scenery or to her. But Ye Tinglan knew clearly at that moment that the beauty he spoke of had nothing to do with Yuan Muyu. It wasn’t because she resembled Yuan Muyu, but simply because she was Ye Tinglan. For some reason, an unbidden sense of lightness and joy bubbled up within her.

Ye Tinglan desperately suppressed this entirely inappropriate emotion, striving to keep her face stern. “We came for a trial, what are you wasting time on?”

“But… I had a breakthrough, Master.”

Ye Tinglan’s eyes widened as she watched Lu Xingzhou’s aura surge, breaking through from the mid-fourth rank to the upper-fourth rank. He hadn’t done anything, yet he had broken through just like that. Anyone else would likely have been dumbfounded and speechless, but Ye Tinglan knew exactly what was happening. She understood that he had entered a state of Dao comprehension, achieving mental relaxation, purification, and enlightenment.

Lu Xingzhou was just like her; he, too, usually had too many worries and overthought things, which was detrimental to cultivation. The energy within his two immortal bones had yet to be fully assimilated, and because of their presence, his efficiency in absorbing spiritual energy from heaven and earth was much higher than others. If only he could calmly cultivate in peace for a while, he would likely achieve breakthroughs, but he rarely had such time. Even if he managed to quiet down for cultivation, his mind would likely still be racing with many thoughts—a state Ye Tinglan understood well, as she experienced it herself. But in that moment just now, he had achieved complete relaxation and tranquility. Was he not looking at her…? So it wasn’t lust, after all…?

“Master…” Lu Xingzhou took a step closer, looking into her eyes from a short distance. “You said I’d be punished if I couldn’t complete the trial. But I’ve exceeded expectations, so how should I be rewarded?”

Ye Tinglan instinctively wanted to step back. Lu Xingzhou was quite tall, and standing so close, he exuded an almost condescending aura, giving her an inexplicable sense of pressure. Ye Tinglan, who had never felt small even when facing a hundred-zhang golden dragon, suddenly felt inexplicably nervous and short of breath. She instinctively took half a step back. “It’s done when it’s done, why are you standing so close…? When did I say there’d be a reward for completion? And anyway, we were talking about an alchemy trial; what does your cultivation breakthrough have to do with that…?”

Seeing her incoherent babbling, Lu Xingzhou chuckled. He suddenly reached out and took her hand. “Don’t back up any further; there’s a cliff behind you.”

“I won’t die from a fall, what’s it to you?” she retorted, though she didn’t actually pull her hand away. Instead, she merely turned her head slightly, pretending to look at the scenery below. It was as if she tacitly acknowledged this as her reward. But Her Holiness had forgotten that men always take an inch when given a foot. If holding hands had become habitual, could it still be considered a reward?

As Ye Tinglan stood unguarded, a sudden strong pull on her hand caught her off guard, sending her stumbling sideways and directly into his arms.

“You!” Ye Tinglan quickly pushed him away, fuming, “Don’t push your luck!”

Lu Xingzhou blinked, honestly letting out an “Oh,” as if acknowledging his mistake. In reality, he had gained some insight. Considering Her Holiness’s cultivation, her reactions were on a microsecond scale… no matter how unguarded or caught off guard she might be, if she truly didn’t want it, her instantaneous reaction would have been enough to keep her from moving a fraction of an inch from his pull. Yet, she had actually been pulled. This meant she inherently harbored little resistance, and by the time she realized she *should* resist, it was genuinely too late.

Ye Tinglan glared at him, her ample chest rising and falling with anger. “What on earth goes through your mind all day?!”

Lu Xingzhou once again put on a wronged, puppy-dog expression. “Nothing at all… When disciples have breakthroughs, many masters elsewhere often embrace them for encouragement.”

“You…” Ye Tinglan was speechless. Indeed, other masters often offered hugs and other gestures of encouragement when their disciples succeeded, and it wasn’t uncommon between female masters and male disciples. But most of those instances were rooted in the close, familial intimacy of having raised a disciple from a young age, without any impure thoughts involved. *Are you, Lu Xingzhou, like that?*

Lu Xingzhou mumbled pitifully, “I get tired too.”

Those simple four words instantly softened Ye Tinglan’s heart. To others, she was peerlessly invincible, yet in truth, she herself felt very weary inside. And him? With his level of cultivation, how much he must ponder. Just a few months ago, he was still in a wheelchair, a mere disabled man. Even so, he had smiled and said he felt for her, offering to help share her burdens.

A pulling force came from his hand again. This time, Ye Tinglan broke free, not moving an inch. Just as Lu Xingzhou thought his chance was gone, she unexpectedly embraced him. Her hand hovered slightly over his back for half a second before she finally hugged him and patted his back, murmuring, “Don’t overthink things… I’ve managed all these years, and I don’t need you to trouble yourself so much. You should take better care of yourself and rest more when you have nothing to do.” She then pulled away, taking a step back. “Especially when some people are clearly idle yet their minds are still desperately scheming how to take advantage of women. If you’re not tired, who is? You might as well just collapse from exhaustion.”

You understand everything, yet you still willingly offered yourself up to be ‘taken advantage of,’ didn’t you? As if reading his thoughts, Ye Tinglan finally tilted her head and said, “In the Profound Serpent Secret Realm, if you had wanted to be presumptuous, you could have gained more… This time, the reward is for that occasion.”

With that, she turned and started walking down the peak. “I’ve seen the mountaintop; there are no notable medicinal herbs here. If you truly have the heart of an alchemist on a trial, then find a high-grade herb in the mountains. Alchemists never return empty-handed from a mountain trip. I’ll leave first; as long as I’m around, I can see you won’t focus on anything proper.”

Lu Xingzhou watched her graceful figure disappear into the depths of the mist. The scent of her lingered at his nose, and the soft touch still remained on his chest. Compared to the passive contact in the secret realm caused by the snake venom, Her usually reserved and stern Holiness actively embracing him was far more captivating. “Reward that time?” he thought. “If there was one time, why wouldn’t there be a second?”

Lu Xingzhou’s spirits lifted considerably. He practically hummed a little tune as he leisurely entered the mountain forest. It was true that alchemists never returned empty-handed from a mountain trip. This wasn’t a rule, but rather a professional habit; it simply was. Upon entering these unfamiliar, exotic mountains, there were bound to be plants and strange beasts not seen in Great Qian. What kind of alchemist wouldn’t feel a thrill of discovery and a desire to collect unique specimens?

While Lu Xingzhou didn’t harbor a deep love or passion for the alchemy profession, he was a perfectly competent alchemist who had studied for over a decade and was quite skilled. He genuinely possessed the “occupational habit.” Filled with good cheer, he delved into the mountains and searched for half the night. He genuinely found several types of high-grade medicinal herbs, including a Vermilion Purple Grass that was very suitable as an auxiliary ingredient for his custom-made third-rank Breakthrough Pill. There was also a Yin Glow Grass, which he suspected might have a stimulating effect on the Soul Banner’s Black Flames, though he wasn’t certain and would need to investigate further.

Lu Xingzhou had reaped a rich harvest. Ignoring his dust-covered appearance from traversing the mountain forests, he happily retraced his steps. But as he walked, his expression subtly changed. The path he had taken earlier wasn’t like this. A *mizhen* (illusion array or maze formation)? Some areas naturally had illusion formations, making it easy to get lost if one entered rashly. However, Lu Xingzhou himself was an expert in formations and immediately saw that this was not a natural illusion formation, but a man-made one. He took out his wheelchair and attempted to fly upward, but found he couldn’t fly out either. This was a dimensional illusion. While he certainly couldn’t get out, it would also be difficult for anyone from outside to come in and find him.

This was a formation Ye Tinglan had set up outside after he entered the mountain… What was she doing? A sudden punishment? No, that wasn’t like Ye Tinglan’s character. This was more likely a form of protection. It prevented outsiders from easily finding Lu Xingzhou, and also kept him from venturing out and getting into trouble. Lu Xingzhou’s thoughts sank. He immediately recalled his previous conversation with Ye Tinglan—besides the Demon Emperor and Gu Zhanting, were there other enemies who could threaten her? Ye Tinglan had said she generally wouldn’t encounter any. But now, it seemed his ominous words had come true; she appeared to have truly encountered an enemy!