Thousand Mountains Snow Dance, Plum Soul Transformed - Snow danced across a thousand mountains; to whom could this silent love be told?

In the secluded valley, mountain flowers bloomed in profusion, and fragrant breezes swept through like winds from a paradise beyond the mortal world.

To Xing Yan, even a blessed grotto-heaven like Mount Luofu seldom offered such a riot of birdsong and flowers. Perhaps precisely because this valley lay far from Luofu's main peak, rarely touched by human feet, its wildflowers could grow so lush and brilliant, spreading like a tide, like a sea. Amid the fragrant winds and ocean of blossoms, Qiong Rong found a cool cave concealed by vines, so Xing Yan went inside with the others to escape the heat and enjoy a rare breath of freshness that sweltering afternoon.

Once his eyes adjusted to the dimness, Xing Yan peered around and discovered that the cavern inside the mountain resembled a gourd laid on its side, with a narrow mouth and a broad belly. Its interior stretched into such deep darkness that he could not see its end. The cave was extraordinarily quiet, too. Unless he concentrated, all he could hear was his own heartbeat and breathing. After a while, when his ears had also adjusted to the stillness, he could occasionally hear the lingering sound of dripping water from the pitch-black depths, faint by the time it reached him, having traveled who knew how many miles.

When he first entered the cave from the sun-baked, flower-scented valley, Xing Yan felt a powerful coolness envelop his whole body, wonderfully refreshing. But after a while, once the summer heat had left him, he began to feel cold. He stood farthest inside, directly in the chilly wind blowing from the ancient cave's depths. Eventually, a swirling gust swept over him, and he could not help shivering.

"Hall Master, is the wind inside a little cold?"

It was Xueyi who spoke.