The room was still, the frost on the windows catching the soft light of morning. Liu Yue sat cross-legged, her breath calm but her thoughts stirred. The snowflake-shaped mark on her palm pulsed faintly, a lingering echo of the Frozen Moon Scripture.
She turned her gaze to Lin Xuan, who stood silently near the door.
"Lin Xuan…" she asked softly, "Was my father a descendant of the Ice Clan?"
Lin Xuan shook his head without hesitation. "No. It's not from your father."
Liu Yue's brows furrowed slightly. "Then… could it be—?"
He looked at her with steady eyes. "It must be from your mother. That bloodline… it's not something ordinary. Not even the Zhi Clan could recognize it."
Liu Yue fell silent, her fingers brushing over the faint frost on her robes. The air around her was colder than before, but not harsh—calm, serene… like winter moonlight.
Lin Xuan's gaze lingered on her for a moment.
Her presence had changed.
The once gentle and bright aura she carried had grown refined and distant. Her features, always delicate, now held a sharper beauty—like jade bathed in ice. Cold. Unreachable. Stunning.
He blinked once, then stepped into the room without another word.
Sitting across from her, he reached into his sleeve and brought out a scroll. It looked freshly written, yet the moment it touched the table, the air shifted. A subtle pulse of ancient energy passed through the room.
Liu Yue's eyes widened slightly. "This scroll…?"
---