Dark Blue Frost - Chapter 3
Chapter 3: The Fox Spirit’s Scheme
Seeing Qing Xuan’s thunderstruck expression, Qian Se narrowed her eyes, seemingly seeing through his anxious thoughts.
Her dark pupils turned icy and menacing, and her gaze grew sharp as a blade.
Even the surrounding air seemed to freeze in an instant.
“Your clothes are reeking of fox spirit scent—why are you still wearing them?!”
Suppressing the anger threatening to burst forth, Qian Se threw the gray robe Qing Xuan usually wore directly at him.
Then, turning her back to him, she explained in a flat voice, “Even if you hadn’t encountered that tree demon just now, the lingering scent of the fox spirit on these clothes would attract other demons and monsters.”
“Fox spirit?!” Qing Xuan froze, staring blankly at the gray robe on the ground, momentarily unable to react.
Hearing the confusion and doubt in his voice, Qian Se lowered her gaze thoughtfully.
“Where is the person who led you into this Weeping Night Forest shortcut?”
Without thinking, Qingxuan replied, “It was the tea seller at the teahouse ahead—”
He stopped mid-sentence.
At that moment, he suddenly recalled what the tree demon had said.
Thinking carefully, the tea seller’s actions became suspicious.
Not only had he deliberately directed Qing Xuan onto a path of no return, but he had also intentionally given him an old robe tainted with fox spirit scent.
“Teahouse?”
Hearing him rustling as he changed clothes, Qian Se snorted lightly.
“Ahead lies only desolation—abandoned graves and wild grass everywhere. Where would a teahouse come from?”
At the mention of “abandoned graves and wild grass,” Qing Xuan shivered involuntarily.
The tea seller’s smiling face flashed through his mind, sending chills down his spine.
Cold sweat drenched his back, and his brain felt muddled.
He quickly picked up the robe and changed at the fastest speed possible.
After removing the supposedly fox-tainted robe, he sniffed it repeatedly but couldn’t detect any scent.
If the tea seller was truly a fox spirit in disguise with malicious intent, what was their goal?
After all, Qing Xuan was just an insignificant junior disciple from Dongji, lacking skills and cultivation.
Why go to such lengths with such an elaborate scheme?
Once dressed, he noticed Qian Se still standing with her back turned, arms folded behind her. With a sheepish grin, he cautiously walked over to her side.
When his master brought him back to Yan Mountain, he had already been eleven years old.
Reflecting on it now, he vaguely remembered being a parentless beggar, wandering the streets, enduring countless hardships and disdain.
However, how he had met his master and ended up on Yan Mountain was entirely lost to him.
Even the story of his master’s grave injuries, as told by his martial uncles, remained a blank memory.
“Master, Qing Xuan’s descent from the mountain this time was unforgivable. But… I noticed your injuries hadn’t healed after so long, so I thought I’d venture to West Kunlun to find Lingzhi Immortal Grass… to heal your internal injuries… that…”
His words grew increasingly jumbled, and he eventually trailed off.
Though his intentions had been earnest, he couldn’t shake off a profound sense of guilt.
Since joining his master on Yan Mountain, despite her cold demeanor and taciturn nature, she had never neglected his care.
Yet he, clouded by rumors from his martial uncles, had harbored doubts about her.
Acting recklessly, he had ventured down the mountain, nearly losing his life to a tree demon.
If not for his master’s intervention—
Thinking this, he felt deeply ashamed, his face flushed with embarrassment.
Qian Se turned around, glancing at his awkward, ingratiating smile.
“If I needed Lingzhi Immortal Grass, I would fetch it myself from West Kunlun. Why would I need your unnecessary meddling?!”
Though her voice remained cold, her expression had softened to its usual calm.
“That…” Qing Xuan awkwardly swallowed, unable to admit that he had hoped to trade the Lingzhi for his precarious innocence.
Instead, he stammered, “Qing Xuan only wanted to show filial piety to Master.”
“If you truly wish to show filial piety, you should stay obediently on Yan Mountain and stop causing me trouble.”
Qian Se fell silent for a long while, as though weighing something in her mind.
Finally, she spoke in a faint, emotionless voice, “If this happens again, I will not forgive you lightly. Now, let’s return to Yan Mountain.”
With that, she turned to leave.
“Master, what about this child—” Qing Xuan glanced at the little boy lying nearby.
The boy, drool trickling from his mouth, stared blankly at Qing Xuan with a silly grin, no longer showing the fear he had earlier.
Qian Se paused. “He was born a fool. Surviving the tree demon’s clutches was merely the blessing of fools and fate guiding him to his benefactor.”
At the word “benefactor,” Qing Xuan scratched his head, knowing she wasn’t referring to him.
Reflecting on it, he realized his master was also his benefactor, and he couldn’t help but feel a shared sense of compassion for the foolish child.
“Who knows where that tree demon abducted him from? His parents must be frantic with worry.”
“No matter how worried they are, it’s none of our concern,” Qian Se replied indifferently, showing no intention of interfering further.
“But… leaving him here alone doesn’t seem right…” Qing Xuan glanced around, remembering the eerie tree demon, wandering souls, and ghost envoys.
A chill ran down his spine, and the fine hairs on his neck stood up. He hesitated, his voice tinged with concern, “Master, why don’t we take him to the nearest market? Perhaps we can find his family. Returning him home would also be a good deed for us cultivators, wouldn’t it?”
Qian Se glanced at the child, then at Qing Xuan.
Seeing his expectant face, she flicked her sleeve.
The bright crimson sheer fabric drew a smooth, fluid arc in the air, and in the blink of an eye, she had already walked far away.
Having spent over four years with Qian Se, Qing Xuan understood his master’s peculiar temperament.
As long as she hadn’t explicitly refused, it was more or less considered silent consent.
He secretly stuck out his tongue, carried the little boy on his back, and immediately followed after her.
…
Fifty miles from the Weeping Night Forest lay the Hongchou town, renowned for its production of dyed brocade.
As soon as Qing Xuan and the child entered the town, they immediately attracted gossip from the local women gathered on the streets—
“Isn’t that the foolish son of Zhao, the wealthiest man in our town? Why is he with two strangers?”
“I heard from the Zhao family servants that this foolish son went missing a few days ago. But Boss Zhao is already overwhelmed dealing with the haunting at his dyehouse and hasn’t had time to send anyone to search for him.”
“So many people have died mysteriously at the dyehouse that almost all the hired workers have fled. How could he spare any attention to find his foolish son?”
“Exactly! In less than a month, over a dozen workers have died there. Oh my…”
“They say the workers who died were all strong men, completely drained of their blood and flesh, leaving only a skin behind. Oh heavens…”
“Didn’t Boss Zhao hire a Taoist priest to exorcise the evil spirits?”
“A priest?! The last one claimed to be a disciple of some great master. And what happened? Hmph! All frauds!”
Qing Xuan paid little attention to the gossip.
What puzzled him more was that his master, walking ahead in her striking crimson dress and with her exceptional grace, should have been the center of attention.
Yet, strangely, no one seemed to notice her, focusing instead on the foolish child he carried on his back.
How odd!
“Master—”
He was just about to speak when his stomach let out an embarrassingly loud growl.
Qian Se stopped, glanced at him, clearly hearing the sound.
Qing Xuan’s face instantly turned beet red as he realized he hadn’t eaten in hours.
“Don’t meddle in other people’s affairs.”
With her usual stoic tone, she walked into a nearby inn.
Qing Xuan quickly followed her inside.
The innkeeper was a lean, sharp-eyed old man.
Upon seeing them, he immediately put on a welcoming smile and asked warmly, “Are the two esteemed guests here to dine or stay the night?”
As he spoke, his squinting triangular eyes swept over Qing Xuan several times.
“One upper room,” Qian Se said curtly, always concise with her words.
The innkeeper cheerfully called a waiter to lead the way, while Qing Xuan stood there, dumbfounded.
“Huh? One upper room?!”
He repeated it a beat too late, a foreboding feeling creeping into his heart.
At the door of the guest room, Qian Se gestured for Qing Xuan to enter first, then instructed the waiter, “Prepare food and bring it to the room immediately.”
Inside the room, Qing Xuan set the foolish child down on a chair and eagerly examined the room’s furnishings.
When he realized there was only one bed, an image of him and his master lying naked together on that bed popped into his head.
He couldn’t stop himself from trembling.
No way…?!
“Master, this bed seems a bit cramped for two people.”
He tried to suppress his fear and nervousness, but his teeth still chattered, and his voice stuttered, “Maybe… Master, perhaps we should get two rooms instead. I’m not used to sleeping with others—I mean, if I start dreaming in my sleep and flail my arms and legs…”
His pitiful, trembling state was crystal clear to Qian Se.
Yet she offered no explanation.
Instead, she leisurely raised an eyebrow, casually flicked her sleeve, and said with absolute certainty, “If I said one room, then it’s one room.”
Qing Xuan was instantly petrified!
