Chapter 17: Frost and Temptation
The peak of the Moonlight Orchid Pavilion stood silent under a blanket of starlight, its spires carved from ancient jade and encased in layers of ice. Snowflakes drifted like feathers from the sky, delicate and unending. On the highest terrace, Yue'er sat in meditation, alone. Her long silver-white hair shimmered under the moonlight, trailing across her lap like a waterfall of silk. She wore pale robes lined with frost-thread, her aura an ever-flowing veil of cold qi.
But inside her heart, there was no stillness.
Since the curse had struck Lianhua, Yue'er had tried to remain calm, composed, the protector of balance and reason. Yet watching Jin Yue risk his soulflame to save another woman—with such desperate passion—had awakened something inside her. Something she had spent lifetimes burying beneath discipline and restraint.
Jealousy.
Not the petty kind. No, this was the raw ache of being unseen. Of offering everything to someone who might not even realize what it cost her.
She recalled his eyes, blazing as he reached into Lianhua's soul. The way his arms had wrapped around the violet-haired girl, his voice trembling with love and rage and fear. He had never held Yue'er like that.
*Do I matter less?* she thought bitterly.
Her meditation circle cracked beneath her. She opened her eyes slowly, realizing her qi was spiraling out of control. The frost that once obeyed her no longer answered so easily.
**"Yue'er..."** a whisper came from the shadows.
She stood abruptly, forming a stance. Her sword, Glacial Veil, shimmered into her hand.
Out of the snow, a figure emerged: cloaked in silk, with skin like twilight and eyes the color of dark wine.
**Lady Raksha.**
The Demon King's consort, the Tempter of Dreams.
"You hide your emotions well," Raksha purred, stepping closer, her hips swaying like a serpent's. "But even ice cracks when struck with longing."
Yue'er narrowed her eyes. "You dare enter sacred ground?"
"Dreams have no borders. And you, dear Yue'er, are drowning in them."
With a gesture, the world around them rippled. The pavilion disappeared, replaced by a mirror-like plane of water and stars. Raksha walked barefoot over it, her reflection shimmering with every step.
Yue'er realized she was dreaming. Or was it a soul incursion? The boundary was thin.
"What do you want?" she asked, raising her blade.
Raksha circled her slowly. "Only to offer you a truth. You gave your essence to that man, Jin Yue. Gave him your frost. Your purity. And yet... does he love you? Has he claimed you like he did Lianhua?"
Yue'er faltered. The sword in her hand dimmed.
"He sees you as strong. Untouchable. But not... a woman," Raksha whispered. "And deep down, you know that."
Yue'er turned away.
"Strike me down if you wish," Raksha continued. "But know this: when his heart breaks, it won't be because of you. It will be because you never let yourself *need* him."
With a flick of her wrist, Raksha vanished. Yue'er fell to her knees in the dreamscape, the mirror world shattering around her.
---
### The Next Morning
Yue'er awoke in a cold sweat. Her cultivation chamber was ringed with frost, windows cracked from the force of her unbalanced qi. The dream had left its mark—not just in her mind, but in her core.
Her balance was failing.
A knock came at her door.
"Yue'er? It's me," came Jin Yue's voice.
She hesitated.
"I felt your qi flare last night. Are you alright?"
She stood and slowly opened the door. Jin Yue looked at her, worry etched into every line of his face. He stepped inside without waiting.
"You've been distant since Lianhua's attack," he said.
She gave a stiff nod.
"I... just need space."
"Is it because of what happened?"
Yue'er turned away. "I gave you my frost... my soul essence. It was supposed to help you ascend. I didn't expect it to... change *me*."
Jin Yue stepped closer. "You think I don't see you? That I don't *feel* you in every breath I take?"
She finally turned, her eyes shimmering. "Then why haven't you claimed me like the others? Why am I always the one watching? Waiting? Guarding?"
Silence.
Then he reached out, gently brushing a strand of silver hair behind her ear.
"Because you're more than desire to me," he said. "You're the calm in my storm. My blade. My balance. But if you need more..."
She surged forward, lips pressing against his. Cold met fire. His soulflame rose around them, coiling with her frost like twin serpents.
Robes loosened. Barriers fell.
For the first time, Yue'er surrendered.
---
Later, lying in the afterglow of cultivation and passion, Jin Yue traced her collarbone with gentle fingers.
"You're mine," he said.
She smiled faintly, resting her head on his chest. "And you're mine."
But deep in the folds of the dream realm, Lady Raksha watched from a shattered mirror.
"Let her fall deeper..." she whispered. "For when I rip her from his arms, his agony will shake the heavens."
The game had only just begun.
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