Chapter 109: Radiant Seton (Part 1): Wine Wine Wine Wine Wine Wine Wine Part 1

A few days later, Shang Shan burst into the hall. “Qin He is back!”

She was ignited by the news, darting around the courtyard like a firecracker. She hugged and kissed the bird that had brought the message, scaring it away. She even turned the wooden house upside down and pulled out the lantern frame she had assembled with small wooden sticks. “The gift is ready. Let’s set off!”

Mu Qian Tan had originally been sunbathing in the yard. With Shang Shan’s noise pollution, she even felt like the wind had picked up. Unable to tolerate it any longer, she kicked her flying. “Scram.”

Shang Shan rolled a few times before standing up. She set down the lantern frame and patted the dust off herself. “Do we need to pack our luggage?”

She had already discussed it with Jiang Zhouyao some time ago. Once Qin He returned and rested for a couple of days, the group would head north to the Fu Clan in the Source Mist. The journey was long and the climate difference significant, so they needed to bring plenty of clothes and travel funds. Naturally, preparations had to be made in advance.

Mu Qian Tan rubbed her temples with one hand, thoroughly irritated. Impatiently, she said, “Later.”

“I heard it’s really cold there.” Shang Shan climbed the tree in a few quick moves and knelt in the little treehouse, digging out the heavy cloak from last winter. “Master, your health isn’t great. You need to wear something thick.”

It was more than just cold—it was the kind of weather where water froze on contact. But unlike the grim atmosphere of previous tasks, this trip was far less dangerous by comparison. It was simply an early encounter with the major antagonist in the plot. There was no need to stay on high alert. Maintaining a calm mindset and treating it like a vacation was perfectly fine.

So why was Mu Qian Tan so restless at that moment?

The answer was that she hated winter and cold places.

She had not been born despising a season. In fact, when she was very young, she even played in the snow. But later on, as she grew older and reflected on her past life, she realized that nearly all her unbearable memories had conveniently occurred in winter, accompanied by vast blankets of snow that delivered blows heavier each time.

This had led her to develop a phobia of the white world that arrived every year, like the dread of rheumatism before a rainy forecast. Once bitten by a snake, she was afraid of ropes for ten years. Winter was that rope that could strangle her. The sight of ice and snow brought a familiar suffocation, as if an avalanche-level disaster was about to strike at any moment.

If she could hide in spring, she would be temporarily safe. But the spring in her life always arrived belatedly, after her blood had already frozen.

This was the most fitting curse that had befallen her. Even before leaving the Modern World, she had slipped in a heavy snowstorm, been buried in the snow, lost consciousness, and arrived in this world.

She had thought she could escape the cold, but her luck was terrible. The body she inhabited specialized in ice-based spells and even had a formation called 【Winter Solstice】. She could not change it and had to use it dutifully.

It was as if heaven was deliberately toying with her.

“I made you some apple soup.” Shang Shan slid down from the tree with the cloak and a bunch of odds and ends. She went to the stove, lifted the pot lid, and steam billowed out. She stirred the clear liquid inside, ladled out a bowl, added a spoon, and brought it to the chair. “Drink it.”

The bowl sat on the table, steam rising gently. The apple chunks were simmered to a translucent shine, filling the air with a sweet scent. Mu Qian Tan stared at it for a moment before picking up the bowl and taking a small sip with the spoon. Shang Shan, who had pretended to leave to pack, poked her head around the armrest. “How is it?”

Mu Qian Tan’s fingertips twitched slightly as she gripped the spoon tighter. “Don’t appear out of nowhere.”

Shang Shan beamed like a flower. “Is it good?”

“Barely.”

“If it’s good, I’ll make it again next time.” Shang Shan dashed off excitedly. “Do you want me to pack your bundle for you?”

Half an hour later, the two appeared at the base of Cliff Mountain.

As they walked up the mountain, they passed Dust Dream Village and saw a group of children catching dragonflies in the fields. They chased and played, covered in mud, with a big Black Dog mixed in among them. It wildly splashed mud, jumping back and forth, trying to bite the dragonflies with its mouth but failing to catch a single one.

Shang Shan carried both of their luggage on her back and fidgeted restlessly. “I want to… No, I have to go see Qin He.”

No sooner had she spoken than the Black Dog over there jumped again. Midway in the air, its body shrank into a slender little girl with slightly dark skin. She clapped her hands upward and caught the dragonfly.

“Wow!” Shang Shan exclaimed. “Little Sister Que!”

Tan Que froze all over, covered the dragonfly with her hand, and looked toward the voice. Upon seeing them, her face lit up with joy, and she quickly ran over. “Shan Big Sis!”

The other children had been caught up in the fun and wanted to chase after her, but when they saw the cold woman standing beside the girl on the field ridge, they sobered up instantly. After some hesitation, they each went back home.

As soon as the girl approached, Shang Shan asked in delight, “Did Feng Ling Immortal heal you?”

Tan Que pinched the dragonfly’s wings between two fingers and hooked up her sleeve with her ring and pinky fingers. “The Immortal was very good to me, but I think I turned back on my own. There’s a mark left on my arm.”

With her sleeve rolled up, the smooth skin of her forearm suddenly revealed a tattoo of a Black Dog’s head in a snarling, fierce glare. Upon closer inspection, it seemed to undulate slightly, as if eager to break free and tear out a throat.

Shang Shan snatched her arm and felt it. There was no unusual sensation, but the tattooed area was cooler than the rest. She could not help but ask, “What is this?”

Tan Que said, “The Immortal said I might have a special constitution that can devour curses or something. I didn’t really understand. The Immortal gave me an example, saying I’m like a gourd that can store curses in my belly and pour them out when needed. Like that.”

Shang Shan half-understood but was relieved to see nothing wrong with her. She hooked an arm around her shoulders and patted her. “Anyway, as long as you’re fine. Are you in a rush to get home? If not, play around here. I can’t hang out with you yet though—I have to go north. You can play with those kids from earlier, okay?”

“Sure! I’ll wait for you here then. The people here are so nice. Even when I turned into a dog, they didn’t think it was weird.”

“This is an Immortal Realm sect. There are immortals flying everywhere. They’re used to it. Who would find it strange?”

They left Dust Dream Village behind and climbed Cliff Mountain. In the distance, green mountains and waters, lush fields, and a leisurely atmosphere. The two ahead chatted and laughed, playing around boisterously. Gradually, a grape trellis came into view, and a flash of bright blue from Qin He’s horse-face skirt peeked out from behind it.

Shang Shan had sharp eyes and spotted the blue. Her heart lit up, and she immediately dragged Tan Que over at a run. Sure enough, there was Qin He helping wash vegetables. Overjoyed, she pounced, and the three of them knocked over the water basin, soaking everything.

Lingdang hopped over and washed Claw Claw with the flowing water on the ground. Tan Que sat stunned on the floor. Qin He chuckled helplessly. Shang Shan brushed her wet hair and grinned. “Sorry!”

Jiang Zhouyao, with a headscarf wrapped around her hair, watched from the side for a moment before turning to see the woman slowly approaching under the trellis. She nodded. “Yao’e Immortal.”

A few dappled sunspots fell on Mu Qian Tan’s face, bright and dark, her features extremely pale. “Mm.”

Jiang Zhouyao set down the gourd ladle in her hand and drew near, maintaining a proper distance. In a voice only the two could hear, she said, “That child named Tan Que—was she brought by you?”

Mu Qian Tan thought Tan Que had done something wrong and quickly distanced herself. “Shang Shan brought that disobedient one. Talk to her if there’s an issue.”

Jiang Zhouyao paused, as if considering. After a moment, she still said, “I looked into some books on curses. A constitution that can devour and assimilate curses does exist, but those with it often have short lifespans. They might not live past thirty before…”

She stopped there. Everyone knew what came next. A curse constrained by the body came at the cost of eroding the host’s life, like a parasitic existence that vanished upon the host’s death. Judging by Tan Que’s cheerful demeanor, she clearly did not yet know her lifespan was limited.

Mu Qian Tan glanced at her.

To Jiang Zhouyao, Tan Que was just a strange little girl brought by a disciple’s friend—someone with no connection to her at all. Yet she had sincerely taken time amid her busyness to research for Tan Que. It was no wonder she was Qin He’s master and the male protagonist’s elder sister. Though sparsely described in the book, it did not diminish her character.

“No issue,” Mu Qian Tan said, looking toward the laughing and playing girl. “She has her own opportunities.”

With that, Jiang Zhouyao said no more. “Let’s eat.”

Those words were music to her ears.

At the dinner table, after Shang Shan introduced everyone and both sides knew each other, she presented the bamboo lantern she had rushed to make over the past few days. It was still at the same shoddy level as the little treehouse—crooked and lopsided overall, with a few hollowed-out patterns on the side pasted with somewhat translucent red paper.