The Ice Demoness Loves

Chapter 17: Poison

Two years later.

A maid dressed in a light-blue uniform wiped the courtyard stone table even if there was no sign of dust on it. She suddenly halted and watched the silent wind carry beautiful flower petals from the garden towards her. Her pale fingertips gently grabbed one and she sighed as she placed it on her palm. How beautiful it looked... but she had to sweep the roads again since they loved to pile up. Blowing the petal so it could flow alongside its friends again, she went back to wiping the non-existent dust on the table.

Cheng ChunHua has basically been doing the same things these two years, and she felt a little lonely even if she had more time to go out and chat with the other servants managing other parts of the sect. This would have been a dream long ago, where she wished her masters would go on vacation and never return so she wouldn't have to walk on ice as she served them. But now...

No other footsteps could be heard within the manor except for hers, and the swishing sound of the sword she was used to seemed so far away. The silent manor was like an abandoned cave, dreary and desolate now that the two people who used to live here had not returned for two years. She suddenly wondered if her aloof master was ever going to come back...

Suddenly, as if on cue, the maid noticed a sign of movement near the entrance. She turned her head and her brows lifted. With hurried footsteps, she quickly approached the elegant figure.

"Master! You've come back!" Cheng ChunHua smiled as she held onto her wet cloth. She took in her master's face, which seemed to have matured a bit and also had a healthier complexion compared to when she left. She used to look like she was in her late teens, but now she actually looked more like her age. Her straight brows were in a neutral position, no sign of obvious emotions reflected in her pupils, and her pink lips closed.

Wu LiJing's shoulders were straight but relaxed, giving her an aloof feel as she calmly looked at her maid.

Cheng ChunHua could already tell her master must have broken to the next stage, feeling that the air around her master was slightly different!

Wu LiJing nodded. "Is Master in his manor?"

Cheng ChunHua nodded. "Would you like to eat first?"

"Have the food ready. I'll report to Master first."

"Yes, Master." Cheng ChunHua bowed and hurriedly left.

The disciple walked towards Sect Master Wang's manor with calm steps. She spotted her refined master sitting outside and drinking tea under a large blossom tree in his elegant courtyard. His posture was relaxed as he sat and stared at the clouds that were moving at the pace of a snail.

When Wu LiJing reached him, she saluted with a low head bow. "Master, this disciple has returned."

"Get up," Wang WeiYue said with a smile as he observed her. "You've worked hard." He gestured towards the seat next to him, "Now, come sit next to me."

Wu LiJing carefully sat down while he stood up. He gracefully poured her a cup of tea and his sleeve lifted slightly, revealing the edge of a jade bracelet that twinkled slightly from the sun rays, shining through the tree branches above them.

"I never had time to share your hard work with you."

"Master means..."

Wang WeiYue grinned. "I put some Red Rosemary in here. Taste it."

She took a sip and closed her eyes.

"How is it?" the sect master asked with slight anticipation.

"Good. Very refreshing. The bitterness is still there, but there is now a natural sweetness and a more pleasant aroma that stays with one's senses. It's like a different tea."