Chapter 146 Meeting Again

Picking up the lotus leaf gauze, Xueze could not help but think of Lianzi.
The gauze was still there, and Xueze brought it with her every time she descended the mountain. Yet, where was that person now?
Lianzi and Xueze shared a profound bond, close as sisters and utterly inseparable. Such a parting was nothing short of a tragedy for her. Even so, she could neither blame nor complain; instead, she viewed this as Lianzi’s predetermined and inescapable trial of fate.
Yet, where was Xueze’s own trial? Life possessed its ups and downs—a law Xueze had long understood—yet she had always lived amidst comfort and indulgence.
The more one was pampered and revered, the more profound their eventual isolation and humility would be. There was no eternal comfort, only transient joy. Only after experiencing both misfortune and fortune could one truly understand the flavor of happiness and attain enduring peace.
As she descended the mountain, Xueze was just about to use her divination arts to locate Liu Li when she suddenly sensed a summons.
"This technique resembles the one taught by my eldest senior brother. Could it be Young Master Liu?" Xueze felt a shock in her heart, quickly retracting her perception before restarting her tracking arts.
Not long after, she indeed spotted Liu Li over a river in Youzhou, precisely matching the location of the summons.
"It seems he has truly encountered a thorny dilemma!"
Xueze sighed softly. Employing the arts taught by Master Qinglian in conjunction with her ice needles, she soared swiftly through the air.
Before long, Xueze arrived above the turbulent river and saw Liu Li standing on a boat, rescuing people who had fallen into the water one by one.
There was a powerful vortex on the surface of the water, blocking passing vessels and pulling several fishermen under.
Liu Li had tied his boat to the bank and was rescuing the fallen fishermen individually. Although he exerted himself with the utmost care and effort, many were still swept into the vortex and vanished without a trace.
This river was narrow and far from the main channel, yet fishermen passed through here, and a vortex had suddenly materialized—arousing Xueze’s deep suspicion and astonishment.
"There is something strange about this! No matter, I must help him first! If this drags on any longer, not only will he fail to save them, but he will also lose his own life!"
A gentle breeze swept across, and the river instantly froze into ice, temporarily sealing the vortex.
The wind carried a biting chill, resembling white mist and pure frost. A trace of white shadow flickered faintly, and a strikingly beautiful woman drifted close to the river’s surface. The scene resembled a celestial maiden descending to the mortal realm as described in books.
Xueze flew down to land on the boat, ignoring the curious gazes of the onlookers as she walked toward the astonished and delighted Liu Li. "What has happened here? Young Master, why did you use the summoning technique?"
Cries echoed all around, snapping Liu Li back to his senses. He lowered his voice and replied, "I was navigating my boat here when I suddenly discovered this vortex moving upstream. Almost immediately, I encountered two fishing boats; most of the people fell into the water, and several are of unknown fate. My solitary strength is meager, and I hoped to ask you to resolve this crisis so these fishermen might escape disaster!"
Xueze nodded. "Young Master, rest assured. I have already frozen the river surface and made the vortex vanish. For now, help those in the water to safety, and I will find a way to search beneath the water for the missing fishermen!"
Delighted, Liu Li agreed and shouted loudly to the people in the river, "Hurry ashore! An expert has arrived here, do not panic!"
The people in the river forged their way through the layers of bitter ice, struggling to climb onto the boats or the banks, all casting their gazes uniformly upon Xueze.
Xueze surveyed her surroundings, glanced at Liu Li, and then summoned her ice needles, casting them into the frozen surface.
Holding her breath and steadying her mind, Xueze manipulated the ice needles, intending to guide the people ashore, when she unexpectedly lost control of the needles entirely.
"What is happening?"

Xueze suddenly opened her eyes, gazing in alarm at the melting ice and then at the people around her.
Those fishermen no longer bore the expressions of ordinary mortals; every single one of them was stiff and dull-eyed, their expressions bleak. A profound shock gripped Xueze's heart, warning her that something was terribly wrong.
"Young Master, these fishermen are illusions! Let us leave at once!"
"What?"
Without answering, Xueze gently cast a spell to reveal the illusory nature of those figures to Liu Li.
Startled, Liu Li looked at the figures and said with remorse to Xueze, "It is I who have harmed you. But if we leave, how will you retrieve your divine instrument?"
Xueze sighed, taking Liu Li by the hand and soaring into the air. "It is not safe here. I will take you away first!"
As they reached mid-air, Xueze suddenly felt a powerful surge of spiritual energy from behind, pulling them forcibly backward. Xueze turned and counterattacked with her ice arts, only to watch all the ice melt instantly into rain.
"You are Shuo?!" Xueze gasped in horror.
There was truly no second person in the world capable of controlling a divine instrument with an array while simultaneously dissolving all ice arts.
A burst of laughter echoed from the valley, filling both Xueze and Liu Li with terror.
"Xueze, what should we do? Should you fly back and summon some reinforcements?"
"No, if I leave, you will be in danger!"
"But you have lost your weapon and are not strong enough to contend with this person. How can I let you take risks alongside me?"
Xueze glanced at Liu Li, steadying his emotions. "This person is likely targeting more than just you. This trap has been set for both of you and me!"
Liu Li was both startled and overjoyed. He could not understand why he still felt a faint warmth and sweetness amidst this terror, thinking: To face adversity alongside such a noble and rare beauty—even in such a perilous situation, this is happiness!
"Hahaha, truly clever indeed, but unfortunately you are both far too kind. Those people had no relation to you whatsoever; why rush to save them indiscriminately without assessing the situation?" The moment the voice finished, all the fishermen on the bank turned to ash, and a man in black appeared on the shore.
"Why did you do this?" Xueze demanded.
"Could you not guess half of it already? Why insist on knowing the rest so clearly?"
"My divine instrument must also undergo a trial. If you help it pass that trial now, how will you manage and exploit my weaknesses in the future?" Xueze smiled faintly, thinking to herself: Master once instructed that when a divine instrument first appears in the world, it must undergo a tribulation before it can be fully mastered by its owner. This time, the method was certainly direct!
"Hmph, you have no future left! Today, I shall bury you both here! Even with that divine instrument present, it may not necessarily harm me!"
With that, Shuo conjured a ball of raging crimson flames, pressing relentlessly toward the two of them with overwhelming momentum.
"You go first, do not look back!" Xueze caught Liu Li's sleeve and pulled him toward the edge of the river.
Just as Xueze prepared to counterattack, Liu Li pulled her down into the water.
The ball of fire chased them to the river's surface, abruptly turned back, and the river water instantly churned with billowing white mist, resembling boiling water.

Abruptly sensing the change in water temperature, Xueze erected an ice barrier around them. Once formed, the two of them were enclosed within a rounded layer of ice, where the temperature and air inside the array remained normal.
"Why did you pull me down?"
"I saw that flame possessed terrifying momentum; you likely could not have withstood it. I had no other choice!"
Helplessly, Xueze looked at Liu Li and cast a spell to propel the ice array outward to survey their surroundings. "He will descend into the water immediately. We must leave at once!"
"Let us find your divine instrument first! Without it, how can you fight this fiend?"
"I fear he is no longer merely the fiend of Qingniao Lake. You are the Emperor; you must be cautious in all things. I will take you out first!"
"No, evasion is not a long-term solution. We must find a way to restrain him, and right now only your divine instrument can stop him! I possess the divine pearl, what are you afraid of?"
Xueze sighed. "Do not speak of that matter again. If he discovers it, he will never let you go!"
"Very well, then hurry and search for your weapon so we are not left defenseless!"
Xueze froze. "Why must we have something to defend ourselves?"
"You currently lack your weapon, and I cannot protect you. How can anyone feel at ease in such a situation? If possible, I—"
"Say no more, he has entered the water!"
With that, Xueze grew still, concentrating her mind to sense the location of her divine instrument. Then, guiding the array, she moved toward its coordinates.
"It truly is the vortex!" Xueze exclaimed softly, turning to ask Liu Li, "Young Master, do you fear water?"
"I do not!" Liu Li smiled.
Xueze nodded. "Then I must trouble you for a moment!"
With that, Xueze glanced at Shuo not far away, then broke out of the array and plunged into the vortex with Liu Li.
The force of the vortex was like a blizzard on the snowfields, leaving one completely powerless to resist. Xueze could not keep her grip on Liu Li; only a shred of his sleeve remained in her hand. Just as they were about to be separated, her hand was suddenly caught by Liu Li.
Amidst the spinning currents, Liu Li was better off protected by the divine pearl. He watched Xueze anxiously, not daring to loosen his grip in the slightest. Although Xueze possessed some cultivation, she was completely helpless within this restraining vortex and nearly lost consciousness.
The spinning torrent caused dizziness and blurred vision, sending her hair flying, yet in Liu Li's eyes, Xueze remained as breathtaking as ever.
No matter when she had arrived, no matter where they were, she remained ethereal as a celestial maiden, reminiscent of the Goddess of the Luo River. Liu Li did not cherish her merely for her beauty—for appearance was merely a trait—rather, her purity, kindness, and elegant demeanor were what truly haunted his soul and commanded his highest praise.