Seven days.
That was all the time Luo Feng had before the official challenge would arrive.
Seven days to train A-Yan, awaken her full potential, and prepare her for what was coming.
But deep in his bones, Luo Feng knew something else: seven days wasn't just about fighting back.
It was a message from the Sect.
We're watching you.
And messages deserved replies.
But brute strength alone wouldn't be enough. If he wanted to make his comeback permanent—if he wanted to stand tall in this world again—he needed more than just one disciple.
He needed a legacy.
The rumors reached him on the fourth day.
He wasn't even looking for them—he simply walked into Meihua Hollow, the merchant town at the foot of the mountain, to purchase new training cloth and medicinal herbs.
That was when he overheard them.
"She's haunting Qing Garden."
"Who?"
"Lady Bai. You know—the daughter of the Bai family. The ones who were framed."
"They say she came back changed. She doesn't speak much, but there's ice spreading from the courtyard every morning. Just… cold. Like winter walks with her."
Luo Feng's footsteps slowed.
Lady Bai.
He remembered the name. Bai Xueyin, daughter of the once-proud Bai Clan. They had been one of the noble families that held the northern line against the Wraith Clans for decades—until someone framed them for treason during a border incursion.
The entire household had been wiped out.
At the time, Luo Feng had still been an elder—still respected, still trusted. And even then, something about the case had stunk. The evidence too clean. The timing too convenient.
But he'd stayed silent.
Now, it seemed their daughter had survived. Alone. And angry.
That afternoon, Luo Feng found himself standing outside Qing Garden, a forgotten estate choked in vines and faded memories.
Its once-lovely koi pond was now frozen solid.
Frost stretched like creeping fingers over the stone tiles, and an unnatural chill hung in the air.
The gate had been left open. Not carelessly—but intentionally.
An invitation. Or a warning.
He stepped inside.
There, standing barefoot in the center of the courtyard, was her.
She wore a robe that looked like it hadn't changed in weeks—pale blue, thin, but unbothered by the cold. Her long black hair was pinned up in a simple silver hair stick, and her back was ramrod straight, like she'd carved herself into a statue out of pride.
Luo Feng didn't speak.
He waited.
The wind stirred.
She turned—slowly—and her eyes locked onto his. Icy, still, and deeply guarded.
"You're not a debt collector," she said. "You're too well-fed."
He cracked a faint smile. "True. Though you do look like someone who's scared more than one off."
She didn't answer.
Luo Feng took another step. "Bai Xueyin. I'm Luo Feng."
Something flickered in her gaze. Recognition? Contempt?
"Former Elder Luo Feng," she said flatly. "Coward of Dawnmist Peak."
Luo Feng chuckled. "You know what they say. Reputation is what others decide. Reality is what you live."
"And why are you here, 'reality'?"
"I came to offer something."
She raised a brow. "Pity?"
"Purpose."
Her silence was sharp. As was her voice when she finally asked: "Why me?"
He looked around the ruined garden. "Because you haven't frozen this place completely. Which means part of you still wants to be seen. Not as a curse. Not as a tragedy. But as something more."
A pause.
Then—a sharp spike of spiritual energy.
Ice cracked up from the floor and launched toward him, jagged and fast.
Luo Feng didn't blink.
He moved one step—just one—and the ice passed through the air like mist, missing him by inches.
"Good," he said. "You're not dull."
Her brow furrowed. "You didn't even dodge fully. Why?"
"Because I knew you wouldn't hit me. You're testing me. Not killing me."
Her fists clenched. Her voice, for the first time, cracked. "You think I'm weak?"
"I think you're hurt."
He stepped closer, slowly, carefully.
"I think you're a girl who lost her name, her bloodline, her voice… and didn't die."
She said nothing.
Luo Feng's voice dropped lower.
"I've been cast aside too. Laughed at. Forgotten. I know what it's like to burn with shame and still wake up the next day."
She looked away.
"You're not a monster," he said. "You're a blade that hasn't been sharpened properly."
"I don't want to serve you," she said.
"I don't want servants," he replied. "I want disciples. I want people who want to rise—with me, not behind me."
She studied him.
Longer this time.
Then she spoke, voice softer. "If I join… I want freedom. I want my name restored. And I want to bury the ones who ruined my family."
Luo Feng didn't flinch.
"I won't hand you revenge. But I'll show you the road to it."
A silence.
Then—she knelt.
A cold wind stirred.
And so did destiny.
Ding! New disciple acquired: Bai Xueyin (Lady Bai).Physique: Glacial Veins of the Northern Wind – currently sealed.Spiritual Talent: Ice Affinity (Forbidden class).Emotion State: Guarded. Vengeance-bound. Loyal at 45%.You have gained: Frost Qi Condensation Manual (System Reward).You have gained: Icebone Root Fragment – cultivable only through disciple resonance.
When Luo Feng returned to Dawnmist Peak with Bai Xueyin walking behind him like a silent shadow, A-Yan dropped her training sword.
"Master? Who—she's—she looks like a noble lady from the scroll paintings!"
Bai gave a polite, frosty nod.
A-Yan squinted. "Is she gonna take my bed?"
Luo Feng sighed. "We'll figure out sleeping arrangements. For now, just don't try to spar with her yet."
"She seems cold," A-Yan mumbled.
"She is cold," Bai Xueyin replied, stepping past her with a hint of dry amusement.
Ding! Synergy detected: Void and Ice resonance unlocked.New system trait activated: "Frozen Rift Potential" – discoverable through combined breakthroughs.Group training bonus: +15% efficiency.
Luo Feng smiled to himself as his disciples stood awkwardly beside each other.
It wasn't a harmonious start.
But it was the beginning of something powerful.
A blade of ice.
A girl who walked through space.
And a fallen teacher rising again.