The Cold and Aloof Palace Master's Daily Demon-Slaying Life

Zuo Qingqiu shook his head, his gaze falling on the glistening snowman: "That's the 'Spirit Empowerment' divine ability, which only high-level cultivators of the Ice Law lineage possess. I've forged my immortal foundation using the Thunder Law lineage and cultivate the Yin Thunder Great Dao, which is incompatible with the divine abilities of the Ice Law lineage, making cultivation impossible. Forcing cultivation would be of no benefit to me."

Her tone was calm, as if she were stating an objective fact unrelated to herself. At her level, she had long since clearly understood her own path and would not blindly envy or pursue the supernatural powers of other schools of thought.

"However," she changed the subject, looking at Xiaobai, "while I cannot cultivate, you can."

"Huh? Me?" Xiaobai pointed to his nose.

"Hmm... You are a dragon, not following the human immortal cultivation system. You don't have an immortal foundation within your body, so you are naturally not subject to the strict restrictions of the immortal [Dao lineage]. You can learn some supernatural abilities from different Dao lineages relatively freely. Moreover, you are of the White Dragon lineage, and you are naturally gifted with supernatural abilities such as water magic and ice magic. If you have the opportunity to travel to the Northern Lands in the future, it shouldn't be difficult to find a few spirit-enhancing supernatural abilities that can bring snowmen 'back to life' for you."

To everyone's surprise, Xiaobai looked disappointed: "What?! I have to learn how to make the snowman move myself? That's too much trouble..."

She tugged at Zuo Qingqiu's sleeve and shook it, "Sister~ Sister~ You're a True Lord now, with great supernatural powers and boundless magic, you must have other ways to make the snowman move, right?"

"What other way is there? Even a True Lord isn't omnipotent. I am a Thunder Law True Lord, and it only takes a snap of my fingers for me to use thunder law to conjure a living thunder beast or a living thunder god. But to bring something that is completely outside the scope of my own Great Dao's control to life... is difficult."

"Oh? Is that so? Okay then..."

Xiaobai finally accepted the cruel reality, circled the snowman a few more times, and finally took out the photo stone to take a few pictures as a memento for the future.

Zuo Qingqiu let her fuss, while he stood on the edge of the platform, gazing absently at the distant sea of ​​clouds and snow-capped peaks.

The wind blew the stray hairs at her temples, and her silhouette in the snow resembled a plum blossom standing quietly.

For a fleeting moment, Xiaobai felt that her sister's back looked incredibly distant—even though she was right in front of her, it seemed as if she were separated by thousands of mountains and rivers, and could melt into this vast expanse of sky and earth at any moment.

She shook her head, dismissing the strange thought, and ran over to grab Zuo Qingqiu's hand: "Sister, let's go back!"

Zuo Qingqiu withdrew her gaze, nodded, and then let her pull her back.

Behind the two, the snowman, its surface gleaming warmly in the sunlight, silently watched over the desolate snowscape.

-

A few days later, Xiaobai couldn't stay idle again.

That morning, she peeked out from the study doorway, only her head sticking out: "Sister, I want to go to Plum Blossom Villa to soak in the hot springs."

Zuo Qingqiu is practicing calligraphy.

She spends half an hour practicing calligraphy every day, which helps her calm her mind and focus her attention.

Upon hearing this, she paused, a drop of ink falling onto the rice paper, spreading into a small ink blot: "Now?"

"Mmm!" Xiaobai ran in and leaned over the desk. "Soaking in a hot spring is so relaxing! And aren't the hot springs at Plum Blossom Manor good for cultivation? I haven't been there in ages..."

Zuo Qingqiu put down her pen and glanced out the window.

It was nearly dusk, and the leaden clouds hung low, as if it were about to snow again.

"Alright." She rolled up the Xuan paper and put it aside. "Let's go after dark. After soaking in the hot springs, we can stay at the resort for the night."

"Yay! Big sister is the best!" Little White jumped up, her dragon tail wagging happily. "I'll go get a change of clothes!"

When it was completely dark, the two left the cave.

There is no moon tonight, only fine snowflakes falling gently, making a soft rustling sound as they land on their umbrellas.

Zuo Qingqiu was holding a plain oiled paper umbrella with ribs made of purple bamboo and the surface coated with tung oil, which shone with a warm yellow light in the snowy night.

Xiao Bai insisted on holding his own umbrella, and ended up choosing a bright red one sprinkled with gold, with a circle of small silver bells adorning the edge. The bells jingled as he walked, making a particularly crisp sound on the quiet mountain path.

There is a small path paved with bluestone from the summit to Plum Blossom Villa halfway up the mountain.

The road wasn't steep, but it was a bit slippery after being covered in snow.

However, these are not problems for cultivators.

Zuo Qingqiu walked with ease, her shoes barely leaving deep footprints in the snow; Xiao Bai, on the other hand, simply floated along, its dragon tail swaying behind it like a playful little boat gliding across the snow waves.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, lights appeared ahead.

There were several glass lanterns hanging under the eaves, with plum blossoms and magpies painted on the lampshades. The candlelight shone through the glass, casting a warm orange glow on the snow.

At the end of the lights, there is a mountain villa built against the mountain.

With its white walls, black tiles, flying eaves, and bracket sets, the architectural style is simple yet elegant.

The most eye-catching feature is the several old plum trees in the courtyard of the mountain villa—

It was the peak blooming season, and the red plum blossoms were in full bloom in the snowy night. Their cool fragrance was carried by the wind, light and delicate, yet lingering in the air.

This Plum Blossom Villa was built when Zuo Qingqiu first moved to Zixu Peak.

Back then, the sect leader, Master Jiang Shaoling, bestowed this mountain peak upon her as her sacred site. When she was patrolling the mountain, she discovered a natural platform halfway up the mountain with a wide view, backed by the mountain wall and facing the sea of ​​clouds, and she began to have a desire to use it.

Cultivators don't need to spend as much time and effort building their dwellings as mortals.

She used the Qiankun Gourd to move a large amount of stone and wood, and then used her magic to "command" them. The materials and tools then "moved" on their own, cutting and combining with each other. In no time, the manor was completed.

They also specially moved several century-old plum trees from outside the mountains and planted them in the courtyard as a tribute to the old plum trees in the Zuo family's old residence.

As for the hot spring, it was an opportunity that came later during my training.

She discovered a "spiritual spring" in a secret realm. The spring water contained gentle spiritual energy, which was very beneficial for tempering the body and nourishing the meridians.

She then used her supernatural powers to move the entire spring, along with its vein, to the backyard of the villa. To do this, she specially altered the layout of the villa, building a semi-open-air hot spring pool in the backyard and diverting hot spring water into it.

As soon as the two stepped into the front yard of the villa, they heard the sound of a zither.

The zither is a guqin, with a deep, resonant tone.

Following the sound, they saw the front hall with its doors wide open, several palace lanterns lit inside, and the spirits of more than ten beautiful women gathered there—

Some were playing the zither, some were playing chess, some were huddled together looking at painting scores, and two were practicing dancing in a corner, their water sleeves fluttering, their figures ethereal as smoke.

These beauties are all the souls in the "Hundred Beauties" painting.

During the day, they would relax at Plum Blossom Villa; at night, they would return to Hundred Beauties to rest.

Upon seeing Zuo Qingqiu and Xiaobai enter, the beauties all stopped what they were doing, stood up, and bowed.

They were not considered members of the Taihua Sect and therefore could not perform the disciple's rites; Zuo Qingqiu also disliked kneeling and bowing, so the women all curtsied in unison, their movements perfectly synchronized, creating a unique kind of beauty with their ethereal figures.

"No need for formalities." Zuo Qingqiu gestured slightly. "Please make yourselves at home."

The beauties straightened up, but dared not be as casual as before.

The zither player put down his instrument, the chess player stopped playing, and the dancer folded his sleeves and stepped aside.