Chapter 38: The Water Theft (1) Part 3

The appeal in those eyes was blatantly obvious, the spitting image of the most scorching stare buried deep in her memory. Images washed over her: the flowing water of the pool, the wine, the moonlight.

Yun Jinxue’s heart gave a slight, uneasy lurch.

It wasn’t that she wanted to refuse. But if Jiang Yanyu kissed her without a care, here and now, when both of them were fully conscious and sober—if they really took that step, they would have to give their relationship a clear definition.

And she wasn’t ready for that. Not yet.

Closing her eyes, Yun Jinxue buried her face in Jiang Yanyu’s chest. “I didn’t get enough sleep yesterday. I’m a bit tired right now. Can I rest a little while longer?”

The hand that had been roaming at her waist froze. Then, it settled down honestly and held her tight, without moving.

From this close distance, Yun Jinxue could feel the woman’s throat seemed to move, before she answered in a slightly husky voice. “Alright.”

[This afternoon, at the Hour of the Monkey, twenty military officers and twenty elite soldiers will escort a convoy of new tribute treasures and artifacts presented by the various officials. After the Head Eunuch finishes cataloging everything in front of the Treasury doors, he will open the vault and have them carried inside.]

What she’d meant as a mere pretext to escape a kiss had somehow turned into genuine sleep. When she was woken, she had almost forgotten where she was.

Looking down from the gap in the dragon head, she could see the situation below. Jiang Yanyu hadn’t woken her early. Right now, the head eunuch had already finished the inventory and was preparing to open the door.

After much hemming and hawing, the lock was finally removed. Four military officers stepped forward, dropping into horse stances. The muscles on their arms bulged. Chanting a cadence together, they slowly pushed the massive door open.

The head eunuch stood to the side, in the middle of flicking his duster, when his eyeballs suddenly quivered. He shrieked shrilly: “Someone is causing trouble!”

[At that moment, Song Xian will appear and create a disturbance, drawing everyone away. You two seize the chance to slip inside the vault. Once the main door closes again, you may proceed.]

The crisp clang of weapons clashing could be heard. The two of them flipped out from the dragon head, landing silently. They darted through the doorway and hid behind a sturdy rack of goods, peeking around a row of gold statues that looked incredibly valuable to see outside.

The commotion was quickly quelled. The head eunuch was so furious his steps seemed to fly, his voice shrill as he urged everyone to quickly finish storing the treasures inside.

After confirming everything had been placed, he patted his chest lightly and strode out, pressuring the men to close the door immediately.

They waited for the deep, rumbling boom to sound. The vault plunged into darkness, the only light coming from the faint glow of luminous night pearls.

The two exchanged a glance within that dim glow.

[The Heavenly Spring Water is kept in a separate Ice Storage vault deep within the treasury. The vault door’s lock is a complex mechanism. If you follow the operational steps on the back of the map, it can be opened.]

The Ice Storage was easy to find. The massive door, forged of Black Iron, radiated a chilly, sinister cold. It seemed to be engraved with some kind of curse spell, emitting a faint blue glow.

The lock hanging on the door looked incredibly intricate. Anyone completely unfamiliar with it would surely find it impossible to tackle.

Yun Jinxue turned the map over and spread it out on a chest of silver ingots that stood half her height. Jiang Yanyu grabbed two extra night pearls and placed them beside the blueprint.

The two of them studied it together. After about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the lock on the door clicked open.

The Black Iron door was immensely heavy and ice-cold to the touch.

Jiang Yanyu touched it once and immediately looked back. “Senior Sister, stand back. Let me do it. And don’t go inside this Ice Storage, either.”

Yun Jinxue walked up to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with her, also grabbing a handle of the door. Instantly, a violent shiver ran through her entire body, and her temperature plummeted.

She gritted her teeth, mist puffing from her mouth. “We do it together.”

Jiang Yanyu said, “You don’t have to do this. I’m not afraid of the cold. Let me handle it.”

Yun Jinxue shook her head. “Together.”

To prevent various fiends, demons, and ghosts from setting their sights on the Imperial Treasury, multiple layers of restrictions had long been placed here. One of them was the suppression of spiritual power.

As such, although both of them were cultivators of no small ability, at this moment, they had to rely on ordinary, mortal flesh and bone to force open this Black Iron door.

Just touching it was already difficult, let alone having to exert such strength to pull it. Soon, Yun Jinxue’s body grew so cold that a layer of white frost covered her.

The radiance of the night pearls scattered over the blueprint. No sense of time passing could be felt inside the treasury. Pouring all her effort into it, Yun Jinxue soon began to shudder. Her head drooped down. She took several deep, ragged breaths, then looked up again, gritting her teeth and hauling with more force.

It had been a long time since she had felt this kind of muscle-screaming strain, ever since she gained the ability to use spiritual power.

Yun Jinxue’s neck was damp. When almost the very last shred of strength had been drained from her, the door finally, finally began to open.

A palpable wave of cold air surged out, like the unleashing of a full winter.

Jiang Yanyu kicked a jade toad over with her foot, then retrieved two small but sturdy iron statues and wedged them into the door gap.

After making sure it was secure, the two of them slipped inside.

The Ice Storage was not small. They split up, working their way along the shelves, searching for the Heavenly Spring Water.

Yun Jinxue had only walked a few steps, and the warmth she’d built up from straining against the door was instantly dispersed. Once again, she began to shiver uncontrollably.

Inside the Ice Storage, there was only that bone-chilling, bleak light. She moved past several rows of shelves, her hands trembling so violently she could hardly brush the ice-frost off the bottles to read their labels. She blew on her fingertips, but it brought not the slightest hint of warmth.

She had to find it quickly. They couldn’t stay here long.

Thankfully, very soon, a voice called from over there: “Senior Sister! I found it!”

Jiang Yanyu sprinted over, holding up a porcelain bottle. The label clearly bore the three characters for Heavenly Spring Water.

Relief flooded through Yun Jinxue. She gently caught hold of her clothes, her voice a mere thread of air. “Let’s get out of here. It’s… too cold.”

Jiang Yanyu steadied her. “Okay.”

But just as the two turned around, they watched in helpless horror as the Black Iron door suddenly slammed inward. The two iron statues were crushed into halves, and the jade toad outright exploded, countless shards bursting outward.

Jiang Yanyu’s reflexes were already incredibly fast. She dashed to the door, trying to stop its momentum, but she was still too late. The fragments of the jade toad sprayed all over her.

She froze for an instant, then shoved at the door with both hands. It didn’t budge.

The lock on the outside seemed to have re-engaged automatically.

[After obtaining the item, leave the Ice Storage immediately. Find the ninth row of shelves. There is a divine statue of Eight White Jade Steeds. The base below can be opened. You two can hide inside. I will find a reason to have this item removed from the vault. You must remember to make absolutely no sound. Thus, the task will be complete.]

Time seemed to have passed for a very long time. Or perhaps not at all.

Yun Jinxue was nestled in the woman’s arms. Her mind was a sluggish, frozen blank. She could barely feel her limbs anymore.

Jiang Yanyu pulled her tighter into her embrace. “Senior Sister?”

She couldn’t respond. Her face was deathly pale, her eyes squeezed tightly shut, a layer of frost coating her eyelashes.

They had tried every method available to break through the door just now. All had failed.

Without spiritual power, relying only on their physical bodies, it was utterly impossible to open it from the inside.

Jiang Yanyu let out a long breath and lifted her gaze to the Black Iron door.

She was born a devil, an Ice-Sealed One. Even though she was currently restricted to a mortal body, her tolerance to cold far surpassed an ordinary person’s. Thus, her condition was still relatively fine.

Shu Yizhong should be sending someone soon to haul out the statue of the Eight White Jade Steeds. When they discovered the two of them weren’t inside, they’d realize something had gone wrong and would find another way to rescue them.

Jiang Yanyu could wait a little longer. But the Senior Sister in her arms clearly couldn’t endure any more.

Complicated emotions stirred in her heart.

The truth was, this Black Iron door wasn’t that difficult for her to break through. She could simply use her Heavenly Calamity Power.

But without spiritual power protecting this body, the moment she started to use that force, her body would instantly rupture and perish.

Dying wasn’t a problem. But she didn’t want to abandon this physical form.

Furthermore, after using that power, there was a very high chance it would expose her identity and stir up a host of unnecessary complications.

If Yun Jinxue knew she was such a terrifying existence… what would she do?

Jiang Yanyu looked down, at the face of the woman in her arms, made cold and pale by the freezing air.

She wasn’t even trembling anymore. She seemed almost unable to hold on.

Drawing a deep breath, Jiang Yanyu closed her eyes and pressed a kiss to the woman’s forehead. She whispered, her voice barely a breath. “Senior Sister, don’t give up on me. Don’t give up on me. Don’t let my feelings become a joke in the end…”

She raised her hand, her palm facing the direction of the Black Iron door. Blood gradually began to seep out from her skin. More and more, converging into small rivulets, dripping to the ground, freezing to ice instantly.

And at the exact same moment, a violent gale rose inside the Ice Storage. Everything on the shelves began to tremble slightly. The Black Iron door also emitted creaking and groaning, as if under the strain of some bizarre force.

The blood dripped faster, more freely. Jiang Yanyu’s voice grew fainter. “I’m begging you, Senior Sister. I’m begging you…”

Don’t give up on me.