Mysterious Woman

The moment she walked out, several disciples instinctively stepped back half a pace.

The woman passed by casually, her gaze brushing over the disciples with nothing more than a faint glance.

But when the name "Ye Xuan" drifted clearly into her ears from the low murmurs of a few nearby conversations, she whipped her head around, her entire body trembling as she fixed her eyes on the disciples.

Her lips moved slightly, and her voice turned sharp from extreme agitation and restraint:

"What did you just say? … Who did you see?"

The disciples were terrified by her appearance. They quickly bowed and saluted, their voices tinged with barely concealed panic:

"We … we greet Senior Sister Bai!"

Bai Ningbing.

The most mysterious of the contemporary holy maidens of the Nine Heavens Holy Land.

Rumor had it that when she first emerged, she overwhelmed her peers with peerless grace, dazzling brilliance, and unmatched dominance—a prodigy admired by countless fellow disciples.

Yet, decades ago, without any warning, she announced a closed-door cultivation seclusion, completely cutting off all contact with the outside world. She refused to see or speak with anyone, isolating herself entirely.

No one knew why.

Some said she had suffered a severe blow during her cultivation, damaging her foundation.

Others said she had endured an unspeakable shock, leaving her despondent.

But no one dared to dig deeper or press for answers.

Because every disciple of the Nine Heavens Holy Land knew that behind Bai Ningbing stood that man.

And now, this legendary woman—cold, aloof, beyond worldly affairs—stood before them, her eyes wild with madness.

"I asked you who you just saw!"

Her voice rose sharply. She lunged forward two steps and grabbed a female disciple by the collar, lifting her half an inch off the deck.

Her eyes were bloodshot, and her lips trembled:

"Answer me!"

The female disciple was on the verge of tears, stuttering:

"It … it was Ye Xuan … Senior Sister, we saw a snow-white flying boat, and a man was sitting at the bow. He looked exactly like … the Forsaken Son of the Holy Land, Ye Xuan …"

"Impossible …"

Bai Ningbing’s voice suddenly became very faint. She shook her head frantically:

"He fell into the Burial Immortal Lake … How could he … How could he still be alive?"

At that moment, a younger female disciple beside her shrank back nervously.

She carefully pulled a palm-sized jade token from her sleeve. The surface of the token was faintly glowing with flowing light.

She timidly raised it, her voice as thin as a mosquito’s buzz:

"Senior … Senior Sister, I … I secretly used a recording token to capture an image of that man … Would you … like to see?"

Before her words faded.

Bai Ningbing snatched the recording token with nearly frantic speed.

She took a deep breath and, trembling, slowly infused a strand of spiritual energy into the token.

Above the token, a clear image slowly emerged:

A snow-white flying boat drifted through the boundless night.

A man sat cross-legged at the bow.

He wore a white robe, his brows sharp and cold, his eyes tightly shut. His demeanor radiated a solitary arrogance, as if he looked down upon the entire starry sky.

The token slipped soundlessly from Bai Ningbing’s fingers and crashed heavily onto the deck.

Her legs gave way completely. If not for the cabin wall barely supporting her, she would have collapsed on the spot.

It was him!

Even if his aura had become so unfamiliar, so cold and ruthless.

She could never mistake him!

Her shoulders shook silently, but she bit hard into the back of her hand, desperately holding back the sobs.

She said nothing.

She just grabbed a handful of top-grade spirit stones from her storage ring, not even counting them, and tossed them into her junior sister’s hand.

Then she turned around and fled as if her life depended on it, charging back into her room.

She slammed the door shut, making the cabin wall tremble slightly.

Bai Ningbing pressed her back against the door, frantically setting up barriers and seals in the room.

Only after confirming that no perception could penetrate these layers of defenses did she stop.

Her fingertips trembled, hovering in midair, then froze.

Then her body went limp, sliding down onto the cold floor. Her knees hit the wooden planks, but she felt nothing.

She just clutched the recording token tightly with both hands and pressed her face against its icy surface.

On it, the faint image of Ye Xuan had not yet completely faded, ethereal as smoke and dream, imprinted on her cheek.

"Sob … sob …"

"Husband … Husband!"

"I knew it … I knew you were still alive!"

"They all said you were dead!"

"I knew you wouldn’t abandon me …"