Dual Cultivation System: The Villainous Servant’s Rise

Chapter 281: A Cunning Game, An Icy Crisis

“Of course, the former,” Han Lie replied without a moment’s thought. “A love for beauty is universal. I’m no exception.”

To hesitate for even a second would be an insult to beauty itself.

“Then isn’t that just me?” Elder Sha Zui’s follow-up words made Han Lie freeze.

*Wait a minute…*

Before he could react, she pressed on. “Let’s try another. A quiet, gentle, and understanding woman, versus one who is hot-tempered and extremely controlling. Which would you choose?”

“Uh… still the former,” Han Lie answered. “A hot-tempered, controlling woman… who would possibly want that?”

“That’s also me,” Sha Zui purred, a triumphant smirk playing on her lips. “So, the conclusion is simple. The woman Elder Han desires… is me.”

“Senior Sha Zui, you…” Han Lie’s eyes widened in astonishment. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry; he felt as if he’d just walked straight into a perfectly laid trap.

“I’m only joking, Elder Han. Don’t take it to heart,” she said in the next breath, reversing her tone completely.

“I know,” Han Lie chuckled, recovering his composure. “In that case, may I ask what kind of man you prefer, Senior Sha Zui?”

“If I said someone like you, would you believe me?” she asked, her expression turning serious.

“Believe you? Why wouldn’t I?”

“Pfft… Elder Han, you seem quite confident.”

“Of course!” Han Lie straightened his back, his voice laced with pride. “Forget this handsome face for a moment. My cultivation base and my standing in the Sect alone are enough to make countless female disciples dream of throwing themselves into my arms.”

A man’s appearance was merely the foundation. True appeal lay in his strength, his identity, his status.

No matter how handsome a man was, if he was a cultivation failure without a Spirit Root—a mere mortal—his fate was sealed. A female cultivator might spare him a glance, but she would never promise herself in marriage or take him as a Dao companion. At best, he’d be a pretty toy, to be played with and discarded when she grew bored.

“Hmm, that’s true,” Sha Zui conceded.

But if that were all he possessed, she might have considered him one of many potential candidates for a Dao companion, not pursued him with such initiative. The true reason was crystal clear to Han Lie, though perhaps not yet to her.

“Alright, I know you have things to do. I won’t take up any more of your time today,” Sha Zui said, taking the lead to end their meeting. “I had a wonderful time talking with you. When you’re free in the future, could we do this again? Just the two of us, talking quietly?”

“Of course,” Han Lie nodded with a smile. “I always assumed you were a woman of few words, Senior. After our chat today, I see you’re quite the conversationalist.”

Sha Zui’s smile was enchanting. “You can’t judge a person by a first impression, you know. You thought I was quiet simply because we didn’t know each other. But you weren’t entirely wrong—I truly have nothing to say to people I’m not close to.”

“Well, I’ll head back to the Elder’s Courtyard. Do as you please, Elder Han.”

Watching her graceful figure recede into the distance, Han Lie mused with a flicker of interest, “This Senior Sha Zui is rather… adorable. She made her move today, but it wasn’t quite bold enough.”

If she had been just a little more forward, Han Lie had no doubt that something far more interesting could have happened between them.

But he wasn’t in a hurry. On the contrary, he suspected *she* would be the one to grow impatient.

Collecting his thoughts, Han Lie made his way to the Spirit Treasure Hall.

The moment he set foot on its grounds, he noticed the whispers and pointed fingers of numerous female disciples, their faces flushed with infatuation as they watched him from the shadows.

He was long past being surprised by such reactions.

Just as he’d told Sha Zui, his Pure Yang Sacred Body aside, his current appearance, cultivation, and status were more than enough to dominate the dreams of countless women, making them desperate to offer themselves to him.

It was a pity for them, really. They didn’t even have an avenue to try. With his vast experience, ordinary women could no longer catch his eye.

*Whoosh!*

Before Han Lie could even begin to look for Xiao Qingge, the Hall Master of the Spirit Treasure Hall, Daoist Junbao, emerged to greet him.

“Elder Han!” Daoist Junbao beamed, cupping his hands in a respectful bow. “What favorable wind brings you here? Please, come inside!”

“Thank you for the warm invitation, Hall Master Junbao,” Han Lie returned the gesture with a faint smile. “But I’m only here to find Xiao Qingge today. I will be sure to join you for a chat when I have more time.”

“Ah, looking for that little girl Qingge?” Daoist Junbao said. “She’s been spending a lot of time at Overlord Hall lately. If you’re looking for her, Elder Han, you might want to check there.”

“Is that so? Then I’ll head over. My apologies for the trouble, Hall Master.”

“Not at all, Elder Han, no trouble at all! Please feel free to visit anytime!”

*Whoosh!*

As they spoke, a sudden, bone-piercing wind tore through the heavens. The chill was so profound that even Han Lie, with his powerful cultivation, couldn’t suppress a shiver.

Then, the world plunged into an unnatural winter.

The temperature plummeted as a vast swathe of black clouds rolled in from nowhere, swallowing the Heavenly Void Sect’s mountain gate whole. Within moments, large flakes of snow began to drift down from the oppressive gloom.

“I-it’s snowing?!”

Disciples of the Spirit Treasure Hall looked up, their faces a mask of shock as they stared at the darkening sky. The Heavenly Void Sect was located in the Southern Region, a land of eternal spring. Snow was a phenomenon from legends and stories, utterly unheard of here.

This unnatural blizzard left every disciple stunned and incredulous.

“What is this…?” Daoist Junbao murmured, equally bewildered.

“Hall Master Junbao, I must take my leave,” Han Lie said, his brow furrowed. His mind raced as a dreadful suspicion took root. He bid a hasty farewell and shot toward Violet Heaven Palace at his maximum speed.

When he arrived, the sight stole his breath.

The entire palace was entombed in ice. A thick, crystalline shell coated every roof, eave, and wall in a layer of profound, unearthly frost. From within pulsed an aura of such abyssal cold that it made his very scalp crawl with dread.

“Come in!”

In the next instant, Ye Qingxuan’s voice—sharp and brittle as a shard of ice—echoed directly in his mind.

Not daring to delay, Han Lie flashed into the grand hall on the third floor. The sight that greeted him was dire.

Ye Qingxuan was sprawled on the floor, her body shrouded in a miasma of frigid mist. Her lips had turned a deathly shade of violet.

Even standing several meters away, Han Lie felt the wave of glacial energy radiating from her, a force so potent it threatened to flash-freeze him into a statue. If not for the innate power of his Pure Yang Sacred Body…

“The extreme Yin Qi of the Taiyin Profound Maiden Fruit…” she gasped, her voice strained and weak. “It is far beyond what this Palace Master imagined…”