Yun Lingyue still remembered what happened with Wu Bei and was unwilling to follow. “No, Senior Sister, you go first. I need to go back and find Xiao Bei!” With that, she didn’t wait for their reply and immediately went back into the hall to search.
The Yaoguang Pavilion disciples were dealing with the aftermath inside the great hall, removing the sword from Ji Peilan’s body. Seeing her return, they only just noticed. “That’s right, where are those three demon cultivators?”
“They wouldn’t have taken Xiao Bei away again, would they!”
“Who? That white-haired girl? Maybe…”
The disciple hadn’t even finished speaking before Yun Lingyue flew off on her sword, leaving in a gust of wind.
“These Chongxiang Sword Sect people are all so rushed.”
Following the small path behind Yaoguang Pavilion, she hurried along, flying and following the tracks on the leaves and ground. Finally, before descending the mountain, she found some tracks.
“Xiao Bei, Xiao Bei!” she called out, anxious and heartbroken, the sound of her cries shaking the leaves until they rustled.
“It seems someone is chasing us.” Wu Ju raised her right hand to her ear, listening carefully.
“No, no! Don’t mind it!” Wu Bei covered her ears with both hands, shaking her head vigorously. “Hurry and go!”
Wu Ju: “Are you really not going to bother? I see that person’s speed is very fast, they’ll catch up soon.”
“Shan Shi, Eyin!” Wu Bei stopped, turned her head and grabbed the two of them. “You two go and tell her I’m dead. Say you killed me, I beg you.”
Eyin refused: “But I promised the Venerable One I wouldn’t kill anymore.”
Wu Bei was helpless: “I’m not really making you kill me. I mean, you just need to tell her, drive her away. Just this once, help me. Next time Yue Jin comes back, I’ll lock her in a room to play with you for a month.”
Their eyes lit up and they quickly nodded: “It’s settled then, no backing out!”
The sky was faintly lit, revealing a hint of dawn. Sunlight dappled through the forest, and a gentle breeze rustled.
Yun Lingyue’s path was blocked by the two figures.
E Yu: “She’s already dead…”
“Wait a moment, don’t speak so fast, alright? A Evil Envoy needs to have some villainous bearing.” Shan Shi glared at her coldly, raising a bow and arrow. “You there, no matter who you’re looking for, you won’t find them.”
“Tell me Xiao Bei’s whereabouts.”
Eyin then chuckled twice: “She’s already dead! I dug out her eyeballs, smashed her heart and liver, completely not in human form!”
“Even before dying, she bitterly begged me, begged me to let her go, but I pretended not to hear.”
Hiding behind a nearby tree, Wu Bei listened, holding her forehead and sighing. These two were definitely using this to get back at her.
“Then you two can go be buried with her.” Yun Lingyue’s sword whistled, separating and unsheathing as she struck fiercely.
Eyin had already prepared and shook the soul-guarding bell.
Yun Lingyue was careless for a moment and was frozen in place. She couldn’t even hold her sword steady, and it slipped from her hand.
She had fallen for this trick again.
Shan Shi threw something onto her before he and Eyin immediately turned and ran, not lingering at all.
Eyin even made a face before she left.
Only Wu Bei remained, watching Yun Lingyue wait for a very long time before finally undoing the restraint and picking up the item on the ground.
A small section of white hair, tied with string.
Wu Bei touched the end of her own hair. She had specifically cut a bit to make it look more realistic. Now, surely, she wouldn’t be suspicious?
Yun Lingyue stared at the item for a long moment before squatting down and clutching it to her chest, weeping bitterly.
The figure behind the tree merely watched quietly, clutching the glowing thin jade piece in her embrace.
Fu Lingyi flew out a short distance, wondering if she should go back and help Yun Lingyue, but was quickly stopped by Yue Jin.
Are you kidding? There are only a few of them left in Qingyuan Palace. If Fu Lingyi went, they’d surely be wiped out by her.
“Yun Lingyue can definitely do it herself, she’s fine.”
Fu Lingyi looked at Yue Jin’s fawning face, her expression slightly playful: “Then we won’t go, let’s go home.”
Yue Jin saw her agree readily, and remembering the subtle relationship between the two of them the past few days, felt a bit guilty: “Fu Lingyi…”
“Why don’t you call me Lingyi.”
“Lingyi, Lingyi,” she quickly changed her words, “You, how did you come here so quickly? Did you know earlier that Yaoguang Pavilion was going to have trouble?”
“What I said in the hall just now, didn’t you hear?”
What did she say just now?
Yue Jin carefully recalled. Did Fu Lingyi say anything?
“Told me to come over?”
“Not that sentence, the one after.”
“Go home?”
Fu Lingyi pursed her lips, looking a little unhappy: “I only said a few sentences in total, and you don’t remember?”
Yue Jin stood on the sword, held in her embrace. The words that came from her lips turned into a soft, dense breeze that brushed against her hair, tickling her ear. A sentence of blame sounded like a tender complaint.
“I, I really forgot,” Yue Jin tilted her head, her cheeks slightly red. “You know, I have a bad memory…”
She hadn’t even finished saying the words “bad memory” before Fu Lingyi lightly chuckled, looking down at her.
“Then wait until you remember before asking. I won’t tell you now.”
“How could you do this!”
The two flew back to Lin’an City but didn’t rush back to Chongxiang Sword Sect , only because Yue Jin was fussing and demanding to eat. She hadn’t eaten all day. If they dared make her eat the vegetarian food from the dining hall when they got back, she swore she’d stew the spirit beasts raised on the mountain one by one.
At Taste Fresh Restaurant, Fu Lingyi sat before the dishes, her previously smiling face turning serious again: “If you don’t want to eat at the dining hall, I’ll go back and cook for you.”
“What you make isn’t as tasty as the restaurant’s,” Yue Jin picked up a piece of glistening red meat and offered it to her, ignoring her reluctant gaze. “Try it. Abstinence from grain isn’t starvation. Only by satisfying your cravings can your cultivation progress further.”
Fu Lingyi glanced at her, then at the meat. She didn’t use her own chopsticks, but instead leaned forward slightly, taking the meat from Yue Jin’s chopsticks and chewing it. Her red and white lips were slightly stained with grease, making them look crystal clear and bright, as if dabbed with lip gloss.
Yue Jin stared intently without realizing it. When she noticed what she was doing, she hurriedly looked away.
“Oil…” She pointed to the corner of her own lips to show: “Here, there’s some oil.”
Fu Lingyi had an idea. Instead of using a cleaning spell, she lifted her chin slightly and moved to sit beside her. “Where? You help me wipe it.”
A handkerchief was tossed into Yue Jin’s hand. It carried a faint fragrance of flower petals. She looked up at the magnified, flawless face before her, then took a deep breath and slowly raised her hand. Her fingertip felt a soft touch. Even through the thin handkerchief, there was a hint of warmth.
“Okay, it’s… it’s done…” The flush near Yue Jin’s ears deepened, half her face turning red. She handed the handkerchief back. “Hurry and sit back down. There are lots of people here.”
“What’s wrong with lots of people? We weren’t doing anything. Are you thinking too much?” Fu Lingyi said, but obediently sat back down opposite her.
After hearing that, she immediately argued that she wasn’t thinking anything at all.
“I know.”
Even after getting an affirmative answer, Yue Jin still felt something was off. She lowered her head, her face still flushed, and ate her meal quietly.
Fu Lingyi watched her for a long time. After she finished eating, she called the shop girl over to pay the bill and bought several more pots of Six Pure White Wine.
“Why buy wine?” Yue Jin didn’t understand. She couldn’t drink any more.
Fu Lingyi didn’t explain. Her smile was inscrutable: “We’ll drink it when we get back.”
Back at Chongxiang Sword Sect , Yue Jin pushed open the courtyard gate. Seeing the spirit grass and spirit plants on the ground, she felt like it had been an incredibly long time. Even though she had only been gone for two days.
She didn’t think about why she had come back. She simply relaxed and lay on the bed, letting out a long sigh.
After seeing her today, Fu Lingyi’s attitude towards her was much better. Compared to how she had been before she left, she could now be called pleasant and amiable. Not only that, she had also bought her food and said she would cook for her.
The sky was dazzlingly bright but had a hypnotic effect. After being busy all day without sleep, she finally felt completely at ease. At least one thing had been resolved. As for what comes after… she would think about it later…
Yue Jin slowly closed her eyes, and fell asleep.
When she woke up, it was already evening.
“I wonder how Wu Bei and the others are. Did they manage to escape?” she sat on the bed, still half-asleep, muttering to herself while watching the chirping birds outside the window. The door suddenly opened without a knock, startling her so much she nearly jumped off the bed.
Fu Lingyi carried in a plate of food and set it on the table. “You’re awake? Hurry and try it. I just made it. Does it look similar?”
“You, you, you…” She stuttered for a while before managing, “Why didn’t you knock?”
“This is my courtyard, and you’re staying in my inner room. Why would I knock?” Fu Lingyi said frankly, reaching out and pressing chopsticks into her hand, urging her to get up.
Yue Jin asked cautiously: “Did you hear what I just said…”
“Hm?” Fu Lingyi curled up the corner of her lips, smiling a little. “Which sentence? I don’t remember.”
She definitely heard!
“Then do you have anything you want to say?”
“What I want to say is,” she nudged the dish slightly closer, “you try it. Is it the same as Taste Fresh Restaurant’s?”
Yue Jin looked over curiously. The plate held red braised pork that looked very much like the one from the restaurant yesterday, and it smelled about right too. She picked up a piece of meat, put it in her mouth, and savored it for a while. Then she picked up several more, stuffing her mouth full.
“Is it delicious?” Fu Lingyi watched her, smiling gently.
“Mm, not bad.”
“Better than Taste Fresh Restaurant or worse?”
Yue Jin realized what was happening. This was because of what she had casually said yesterday, causing a spat and now a cooking competition.
“They’re chefs of many years, while you’re a beginner. Each has their own merits.”
“That won’t do,” Fu Lingyi deliberately leaned forward slightly, looking up at her from below. “You must say it. You must decide which is better.”
“Well…”
“Think carefully. If you think Taste Fresh Restaurant’s is better, then you’ll have to go down the mountain every day from now on and buy it there.”
Yue Jin was shocked. How had this turned into a threat?
“Of course yours is delicious, Lingyi,” she blossomed into a flower-like smile, just so she’d have food whenever she wanted it later. “You’re an immortal! Your hands carry immortal energy. Even if this dish is only touched by your hand once, the deliciousness will seep in!”
As she spoke, she actually reached out and took Fu Lingyi’s slender, fair hand. Her fingers had distinct joints, like winding streams in the mountains, and even the thin calluses in her palm seemed harmoniously placed. “Tsk tsk tsk,” Yue Jin added. “I don’t even need to eat. I’m full just looking at your hands.”
Fu Lingyi suddenly pulled her hand away. She stood up and walked to the door, turning her back to Yue Jin. Her breathing was ragged. “Eat, eat, come out when you’re finished. I’ve set everything up in the courtyard.”
Although Yue Jin didn’t dwell on her sudden departure, she felt a sense of emptiness in her palm.
“What did you set up?”
“The weather’s nice today. Let’s drink wine.”
Good work 👏