Hanlan City is governed by Hanlan Sect, whose Sect Master is Zhang Liying. His son once openly harassed Long Qinghuang on the street and was beaten to death by the “Fierce Dragon” herself.

Later, Lu Xingzhou and Ye Tinglan visited again. Zhang Liying sought them out, this time pledging allegiance to Ye Tinglan, and was accepted as an affiliated sect of Tianyao Sacred Land.

Bingyu Sect’s Ling Qixuan has an obsession with Ice Demons, so it is hard to judge his attitude towards Dugu Qingli. Zhang Liying, however, is much more reliable—it is widely known that Long Qinghuang and Ye Tinglan are sworn enemies. Zhang Liying has a vendetta against Long Qinghuang for the death of his son, so he will naturally cling to Ye Tinglan’s favor.

As for Lu Xingzhou, most people in the world, like Gu Zhanting, judge the situation of the Demon Empress and the Sacred Lady fighting over a man as either mere rumor, or at most a casual fling with a pretty boy, with no real intimate relationship. The people of Hanlan City, however, are different. Many of them personally witnessed Lu Xingzhou taking Long Qinghuang and Ye Tinglan, in turns, to buy clothes…

What kind of relationship would make the Demon Empress and the Tianyao Sacred Lady lower themselves to shop for clothes with a man? What kind of relationship would make them discard their dragon robes and Daoist robes, to wear the soft, feminine clothes of ordinary women for one man?

In reality, this was a mistaken guess, because at that time, Lu Xingzhou’s relationship with them was not that close. But it was a lucky hit.

Theoretically, Hanlan Sect’s relationship with Dugu Qingli is more direct. Lu Xingzhou holds no position in Tianyao Sacred Land, while Dugu Qingli is a proper Sacred Maiden. Yet, for such a grand event as the Sacred Maiden’s arrival at an affiliated sect, Zhang Liying, who came out to greet them, kept bowing to Lu Xingzhou, “What auspicious wind brings Marquis Lu here? Hanlan Sect is truly honored, truly honored!”

Who is this white-haired person? I don’t know them.

Long Qinghuang’s vendetta over his son’s death? That has nothing to do with Lu Xingzhou. Even if it did, he couldn’t afford to offend him. Anyway, he has more than one son.

Lu Xingzhou got straight to the point: “Sect Master Zhang is too polite. My main purpose in disturbing you this time is to inquire: in the past six months, there have been frequent earthquakes in Dongyue Hanchuan. The demon cities bordering it to the east have already started to suffer. How are the tremors here in Hanlan City?”

“Indeed, that is true. There have been frequent earthquakes in the past six months. They were initially weak, and people didn’t pay much attention. Later, they grew stronger and stronger, and some of our houses collapsed because of them. Fortunately, there were no casualties,” Zhang Liying said. “I personally investigated and can determine that the epicenter is in the central region of Dongyue Hanchuan.”

“Have you analyzed the cause?”

“As Marquis knows, the central part of the Hanchuan has too much ice and cold, making it difficult for ordinary people to stay there long. Furthermore, the ice layer is extremely solid, making it impossible to explore downwards. We are incompetent, I’m afraid, and haven’t been able to find any problems… This matter was also reported to Duke Si. Duke Si also sent people to investigate a few days ago, but similarly, they found nothing.”

Lu Xingzhou pondered in silence.

Dugu Qingli said, “Does Tian Shuang Kingdom not have anyone who can use their spiritual sense to investigate downwards?”

Zhang Liying replied, “Of course there are, but they haven’t reached the Super Grade. How far can their spiritual sense reach? The ice layer in the center of Hanchuan also specifically blocks spiritual sense. Our cultivation is considered ice-elemental, so we have some affinity and can penetrate a bit deeper. It is said that the demon race also sent people to investigate, but it must be even harder for them, unless the Demon Empress comes in person.”

So it wasn’t that Long Ao and the others were useless; it was the unique geographical nature of the Hanchuan’s center that left everyone helpless.

Zhang Liying chuckled, “It seems Duke Si reported this to the Sacred Lady, so Marquis Lu and the Sacred Maiden are here to investigate? With you two, this matter will surely be resolved. Please feel free to command anything Zhang needs to assist with.”

Dugu Qingli kept a straight face, daring not to say that they were entrusted by the Demon Empress.

Oh, wait, the Demon Empress didn’t actually entrust them; she was originally coming herself. It was Lu Xingzhou who volunteered to make this trip for his pregnant wife, and she, the little white-haired one, became a part of their loving couple’s arrangement.

Lu Xingzhou finally said, “Since Si Han sent people to investigate, and you believe they would investigate more thoroughly than the demon race… then please send a letter to Si Han on my behalf and ask him to send the person previously responsible for this matter to tell me the situation.”

Dugu Qingli glanced at Lu Xingzhou with some confusion, feeling that Lu Xingzhou’s caution was a bit excessive.

Wouldn’t it be over if she just went to see for herself? Could Si Han’s investigation possibly be clearer than Dugu Qingli’s personal observation? After all, for Dugu Qingli to go to Dongyue Hanchuan was truly like returning home; places where others’ spiritual sense couldn’t penetrate, she could probably manage.

Then she heard Lu Xingzhou transmit his voice, “Only after ensuring that it’s not related to the Ice Demon can I be at ease letting you go. If it truly is related to the Ice Demon, I will summon my teacher.”

Dugu Qingli pursed her lips.

Her master had sent her out with Lu Xingzhou, partly because she didn’t want her to go to Dongyue Hanchuan. Yet, by a twist of fate, she still ended up here. Lu Xingzhou was taking responsibility for this.

His intentions were good, and he was steady… but was he responsible for Dugu Qingli, or for Ye Tinglan?

Never mind… Dugu Qingli said indifferently, “Well, there’s nothing else to do, I’ll explore Hanlan City.”

Lu Xingzhou quickly said, “I’ll accompany you, I’m familiar with this city.”

“No need, I’ve been to this place for supplies when I was little, so it’s not unfamiliar.”

Zhang Liying suddenly realized, “You… wouldn’t happen to be that little Snow Maiden from over ten years ago?”

Dugu Qingli: “…What kind of name is that?”

Zhang Liying was a bit embarrassed: “That’s what we called you privately. Over ten years ago, a little girl with white hair and blue eyes came to the city, exquisitely beautiful and incredibly cute. Some people even wanted to capture her as a pet, but she injured someone and then escaped, never to be seen again. At the time, everyone said she was an ice and snow spirit from the Hanchuan, and some even said she was an incarnation of the Ice Demon.”

Lu Xingzhou’s face was stern as he said, “Capture her… was Sect Master Zhang involved?”

“No, no, absolutely not. At that time, I only saw her from afar; by the time I got close, she had already run off.”

Dugu Qingli ignored the comment and silently left the Hanlan Sect mountain gate, heading towards the city.

Lu Xingzhou silently accompanied her.

He felt sorry for the little white-haired girl back then, imagining the scene made him want to hug and comfort the child.

After walking for a long time, Dugu Qingli finally said, “Pitying me?”

“Mm. A little.”

“From childhood to adulthood, I’ve never really been able to get along with humans.” Dugu Qingli rarely smiled, “You said I was beautiful, and perhaps ordinary women wouldn’t feel much after hearing that, but for me it was quite… shocking. Setting aside your lewd thoughts, just for that evaluation, I should thank you.”

“I must emphasize, my evaluation was absolutely without lewd thoughts, it came from the bottom of my heart.”

“Whatever.”

“Actually, they also said you were exquisitely beautiful and incredibly cute.”

“The words are good words, but unfortunately they are used to evaluate pets and spirit beasts, not people.” Dugu Qingli paused, “Although, I wasn’t human to begin with.”

“Is it that after accepting the idea that you are an incarnation of an Ice Demon, some internal struggles you had before have dissipated? Like a ‘broken pot, broken throw’ feeling?”

Dugu Qingli said indifferently, “A little… Anyway, since I’m not human, why bother caring if I can be like humans, or what humans think of me?”

“However, you would rather be human.”

“Because after all, I considered myself human for more than ten years, and I once tried hard to prove it to people.”

—”My name is Dugu Qingli, and I am not a demon. Remember that.” The girl once told others this very seriously.

Lu Xingzhou suddenly realized that the matter of the Ice Demon’s incarnation had a more serious impact on Dugu Qingli’s inner self than everyone imagined.

No wonder Ye Tinglan repeatedly warned her not to come into contact with the Ice Demon too early, yet Dugu Qingli still couldn’t resist trying several times.

She once tried very hard to be human, diligently learning human ways of thinking, hoping to gain people’s approval and acceptance, and even a compliment on her beauty still affects her to this day. Ultimately, everything collapsed; it turned out to be meaningless, and so many years of proving herself were nothing but a joke.

It turned out she truly wasn’t human. What was there to prove?

It feels like Ye Tinglan teaches disciples how to cultivate, but not how to raise children. Both Yuan Muyu and Dugu Qingli’s cultivation are impeccable, but Yuan Muyu went astray, and Dugu Qingli isn’t much better.

At least, she never received proper guidance, and there’s a knot in her heart.

Perhaps it’s because in the world of cultivation, the understanding of cultivation takes precedence. One can’t entirely blame Ye Tinglan… In common understanding, people with Dugu Qingli’s special attributes are supposed to be cold-hearted and detached, and shouldn’t care about others’ opinions.

Perhaps this statement wouldn’t be wrong now. But… she was still a child back then.

In a child’s heart, the emotional knot caused by being misunderstood by peers due to appearance issues can be quite severe. Other children might even become withdrawn because of such things; the little white-haired girl, due to her attributes, was relatively less affected.

Ye Tinglan had also briefly discussed this matter with Lu Xingzhou. She believed that discrimination and exclusion from fellow disciples would lead to a child having issues with the sect, and would be detrimental to their physical and mental health. Placing her in Dongyue Hanchuan, besides being more suitable for her cultivation, could also avoid this. Furthermore, Qingli’s icy attributes were inherently suited for solitude. At first, Lu Xingzhou thought it made sense, but upon closer reflection, he found it inappropriate.

There’s no such thing as “inherently suited for solitude”… She was a child first, and then had icy attributes.

Of course, saying this now is hindsight; at the time, he didn’t think so much about it either, so there’s nothing to criticize Ye Tinglan for.

The two walked in silence for a long time. Lu Xingzhou always felt that Dugu Qingli’s rare desire to “stroll” was to fill some void from her childhood. Back then, she had come for supplies only to be surrounded, injuring people and escaping. Now, as the Sacred Maiden, she walked openly, and no one dared to look directly at her.

Perhaps she felt something like that?

After a moment of thought, Lu Xingzhou finally spoke, “You never needed to prove anything to people.”

Dugu Qingli said, “Yes, I am an Ice Demon after all.”

Lu Xingzhou said, “I don’t mean that.”

“Then it’s the so-called Sword Heart and Ice Heart, one shouldn’t pay attention to others’ opinions.”

“It seems you were taught a lot of that from a young age.”

“Of course, True Person Tinglan is the best in the world, and Tianyao Sacred Land is a top-tier place. There are many who understand cultivation and heart-refining.”

“That’s quite sarcastic.” Lu Xingzhou chuckled, “But I don’t mean that either.”

“Huh?” Dugu Qingli finally turned to look at him, “Then what do you mean?”

Lu Xingzhou said, “Do you know what kind of clothes Qinghuang wore when I first met her?”

“It’s said she usually wore a golden dragon robe, the kind that glows.”

“Not just that, she also had golden patterns painted on her face.”

Dugu Qingli: “…”

“At the time, I asked her if it wouldn’t seem strange entering human society dressed like that, with people staring… Qinghuang said that it was others who didn’t know how to appreciate it, how beautiful it was? She only removed it later because she didn’t want to attract too much attention.”

Dugu Qingli’s expression became a little strange, then she looked down at the road.

Lu Xingzhou said leisurely, “You should have that confidence: ‘This is my best look. If others say it’s not good, it’s because they don’t know how to appreciate it, a bunch of idiots.’ Yuan Yao writes books, Chu Yun writes poetry, they all need this spirit. Otherwise, if you take others’ random criticisms to heart, wouldn’t you get breast stagnation from anger? What’s wrong with us having white hair and blue eyes? My Lu Xingzhou loves it, what do those mediocre people know about beauty?”

Dugu Qingli finally managed to blurt out, “Who is ‘my’?”

“Don’t mind those details… In short, people know that true friends are hard to find, soulmates are rare. As long as the people you care about care about you, who are others to judge? I even think they aren’t human. Who pays attention to me?”

Dugu Qingli thought deeply for a long time and concluded, “You’re hitting on me.”

Lu Xingzhou’s words caught in his throat, and for a long while, he didn’t know how to respond.