Chapter 204: The Bow Keeper, Mu Ningxue
Venice.
The Mediterranean breeze blew, like a pair of gentle hands softly caressing her hair.
A strand of silver hair swayed gently with the lines of the wind. Mu Ningxue turned her face slightly, looking at the ends of her hair fluttering in the wind.
Not all of it was snowy white; some strands seemed to have returned to their original dark ink color. Previously, they were barely visible, but this time, the dark ink strands could be clearly felt mixed within the pure snowy white hair.
Dark ink was the original color of her hair, just like her mother's. Dark ink, like silk, was quietly beautiful, unlike this incredibly striking snowy white, which gave her a sense of paleness and sorrow that she couldn't shake off.
However, whether she liked it or not, the snowy silver strands were ultimately denser.
Her mother told her that once her hair completely returned to its original color, it would signify that she had mastered her power.
Unfortunately, Mo Fan told her that if her hair truly changed back, it would not be a good thing for her.
Because with her Innate Ice Spirit Physique and the Ice Crystal Bow merging with her soul, her hair would only be silver-white, signifying her becoming a true powerhouse.
Mu Ningxue wasn't sure how Mo Fan knew these things, nor did she understand why Mo Fan said that even a temporary change back now was nothing, and that these things didn't need to be worried about.
What she needed to focus on now was the Mu Clan and Nan Rongni.
Although Mu Ningxue had noticed some oddities about Nan Rongni, she hadn't given it much thought, because she didn't yet understand what human wickedness meant.
But Mo Fan had never lied to her about anything, and there was no need for him to.
"Mu Ningxue, you're here. I've been looking for you for a long time." Just as she was in a daze, a man's voice came from behind her.
Hearing this, Mu Ningxue turned her head, looking at the gently smiling man in his early thirties, and her expression turned cold.
His appearance at this moment could only mean that what Mo Fan said was true.
"What a twist of fate. Ten years ago, I promised you that as long as you wished and put in the effort, you would definitely become the strongest Ice Mage in our Clan. But I never expected such a thing to happen." The man walked onto the bridge, leaned against the railing, and sighed.
But after the man spoke, he saw Mu Ningxue still looking cold, without any change in expression, and she didn't even show much surprise at his appearance, which puzzled him.
"Aren't you curious who I am?"
"No interest," Mu Ningxue said indifferently.
Perhaps she once had, but now, the moment she saw him standing there, she lost all interest.
Because, indeed, just as Mo Fan said, she was merely a Bow Keeper. Even without Archpriest Mu He's incident, she would still have been expelled by the Mu Clan. Leaving aside other things, it was simply because there were people within the high-levels of the Mu Clan who targeted her, or rather, who targeted her because of her mother.
"Hehehe."
The man's face twitched, and a sinister glint flashed in his eyes, but then he suddenly laughed.
But there was a hidden dagger in that laugh!
"Allow me to formally introduce myself. My name is Pan Xi, and in this Clan, I'm more like a ghost," Pan Xi added.
"Or rather, just tell me why you're here."
"Your attitude will make me very angry. Aren't you curious why I didn't appear when you were abandoned by the Mu Clan?"
Pan Xi looked at Mu Ningxue, saw that she had no expression or reaction, and continued, "You know, ice is our Clan's emblem. Although there are many other great Clans in Great Xia that are on par with us, in terms of cultivation and strength, no Clan can be stronger than us, and no Clan can cultivate more High-Level Mages and Super-Order Mages than us. So, do you know why?"
"You think I don't know that I'm a branch member, and also someone used to raise the bow?" Mu Ningxue said coldly.
"Oh?"
Hearing Mu Ningxue say it herself, Pan Xi was genuinely surprised!
"I didn't expect you to guess… Yes, you can think of yourself as a queen ant, and other worker ants, like slaves, supply you with fragments and then transport them to you, finally building an exquisite and perfect ant nest!"
"Unfortunately, now you, too, have become abandoned, so hand over the Ice Crystal Bow." Although he wasn't sure how Mu Ningxue knew about this, it didn't matter at all.
"Then, who do you want to give my fragments to?" Mu Ningxue continued.
Her expression was still indifferent, as if this matter wasn't happening to her.
"It's me." A familiar voice came from the side. Mu Ningxue could identify the owner of the voice almost without turning around.
Although she had already confirmed it before, the moment the person walked out, she still found it somewhat ridiculous.
She hadn't expected that all along, she had no so-called friends by her side.
Mu Ningxue placed her hand on the stone bridge, and a surge of ice power erupted from her body.
"It's no use. Your little ability is a joke in front of Pan Xi." Another woman's voice came from the other end of the arch bridge.
Sharp high heels clicked on the stone bridge. Mu Tingying, dressed in a luxurious, vibrant purple gown, walked to the highest point of the arch bridge, then descended slowly like a proud princess.
Behind Mu Tingying were two men dressed in noble silver-white mage robes.
These were the Mu Clan's Disciplinary Mages, but she was not afraid.
"Is it just the few of you?"
"Hmph, Mu Ningxue, don't think that just because Mo Fan helps you, you can go against the Clan. You should know that even his talent is nothing compared to the many experts in our Clan!" Mu Tingying was furious at Mu Ningxue's current attitude.
This was not the expression she wanted to see.
She had been suppressed for so long; what she wanted to see was her helpless, powerless to resist appearance!
"Be careful, she has the Ice Crystal Bow," one of the Disciplinary Mages said with a serious expression.
"Don't worry, with me here, her Ice Crystal Bow won't obey her commands," Pan Xi stood there, showing no intention of personally acting.
"Are you so sure that with you here, my bow cannot be used?" Mu Ningxue said indifferently.
Then, the Ice Crystal Bow surged from the depths of Mu Ningxue's soul, transforming into a sky full of ice crystals that flew across the City of Venice.
Snow and ice fell wildly, freezing the intricate waterways of Venice, freezing the vintage buildings, freezing the humid sea air, and even freezing this cruel world that made one wish to completely freeze it into a lifeless object!
"Didn't you say that with you here, she couldn't use the Ice Crystal Bow?!" Mu Tingying was completely stunned, glaring at Pan Xi and scolding him.
Pan Xi was also stunned; how could he know why this was happening??
He was also very puzzled!
Soon, he suddenly thought of something and angrily shouted, "Damn it, her soul has merged with the Ice Crystal Bow on its own! It must be that damned woman!"
While doing this would prevent her from being suppressed, it also meant she was becoming an enemy of the Mu Clan.
Once she failed and her fragments were extracted, she would even lose her life!