Half an hour had passed since Verdant Green Maiden had asked that question.
The palace was utterly quiet.
Between Hong Luan and Verdant Green Maiden, only the constantly burning fire still crackled, keeping the atmosphere from falling completely silent. But the oppressive mood left Sun Huo Wang and Jingang too afraid to move. They stood stiffly in the corner, trying to make themselves as inconspicuous as possible.
Help!
Why had Chunyu Tiying gone down the mountain at a time like this?!
"Don't you have anything to explain?"
In the end, Verdant Green Maiden was the one to break the silence. She reached out with a stick and poked at the fire. Sparks drifted up, lighting her face red.
They usually didn't light fires like this in the palace, but Snake Girl liked to sit by the flames, so it had become a habit.
Now, though, the fire made Hong Luan feel a little cold. She drew in on herself.
"I'm a Qing Niao..."
Hong Luan replied.
Verdant Green Maiden nodded slightly. "I know. But... I've never told you about Gods and Buddhas. I've never told you about Buddhist Scriptures or Zhang Daoling, yet you know how to talk about all those things!"
She looked at Hong Luan. A chill flashed through her brown-green slit pupils as she asked, "Hong Luan, who told you to wait for me on Kunlun Mountain?"
Hong Luan opened her mouth but didn't answer.
Verdant Green Maiden continued, "I asked you about that before. You said you didn't know, but... you clearly know a great deal."
"Tell me what you know, and what you've been hiding from me."
As she spoke, Verdant Green Maiden raised her hand. Wind and Snow gathered in her palm, and snowflakes fell one by one at an even pace. "Silence counts