After Rebirth, the Heroine is Consumed by Overwhelming Regret Chapter 27

It was actually trying to take advantage of Qi Qing!
Yu Yan finally understood its sinister intentions and immediately tried to grab it and throw it out. Caught by the tail, it couldn’t escape. It struggled and whimpered pitifully, its eyes brimming with tears.
Qi Qing chuckled, “Yu Yan, stop bullying it.”
Seeing its tears, Yu Yan thought it must have truly learned its lesson and loosened her grip. Who would have thought? It immediately seized the opportunity to escape, darting up Qi Qing’s arm to his shoulder and hiding behind Qi Qing’s head, whimpering as if tattling.
“You…!” Yu Yan was furious. She had taken pity on it and let it off, but it certainly knew how to exploit its master’s influence!
Seeing her flustered, the fox even winked provocatively at her. But when Qi Qing turned his head, it immediately put on a pitiful act again.
Qi Qing, unaware of its true nature, saw it whimpering and complaining incessantly. He gently coaxed it, asking if its tail hurt. This played right into its paws. It quickly presented its tail for Qi Qing to inspect, accusing Yu Yan of the “atrocity” of grabbing its tail.
Its tail was fluffy and beautiful, resembling a large cattail fan when it waved. Qi Qing couldn’t help but offer a few words of praise. Delighted, it immediately forgot its original purpose, twirled on Qi Qing’s shoulder, and then nuzzled his face vigorously, as clingy as a puppy.
Yu Yan’s expression instantly dropped to freezing point.
Just as she was about to grab it again, it darted behind Qi Qing once more.
This playful interruption from it considerably lightened Qi Qing’s mood. She said, “Alright, don’t be angry with it anymore.”
Yu Yan wasn’t truly angry with it, but she always felt this fox harbored ill intentions. Fortunately, the other party was also a divine official, bound by heavenly laws and regulations, so it was unlikely to harm Qi Qing. It was just a bit of an eyesore.
She nodded slightly and shot the fox another warning glare. The fox seemed to know it had gone too far and guiltily hid further behind, covering its face but peeking out.
But it forgot about its ears; most of their fluffy forms were exposed, swiveling back and forth, listening for Yu Yan’s movements.
Yu Yan was almost amused by her own exasperation. Considering its true form was just a fox – cunning, yes, but not on par with humans – there was really no need to stoop to its level. So, she stopped bothering with it.
By now, the sun was shining brightly. Qi Qing, well-rested, said, “Yu Yan, I still haven’t thanked you for what happened before. Now that I’m finally free, I can fulfill my promise. Should we return to Changhe Mountain?”
Yu Yan shook her head. “There’s no one in the mountains. There’s no need to go back.”
“Then…” Qi Qing asked, “Is there anywhere you’d like to go?”
“Not really. It’s just that I’ve been in seclusion for so long, I was almost bored to death. Since there’s nothing pressing now, how about we just wander around without a specific destination for a while?”
This suggestion was exactly what Qi Qing wanted.
In her past life, she had always been bogged down by useless people and affairs and had never seen the vast world. Now that she had the chance, of course, she wouldn’t object.
And so, the two made their decision and prepared to set off.
Before leaving, they saw the little fox had curled up and fallen asleep. Qi Qing left some food and water for it and softly said goodbye.
Its ears twitched, but it didn’t get up.
Seeing it was sensible enough not to make a fuss, Yu Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The two left the dilapidated temple and didn’t rush. They walked leisurely, stopping here and there. Within a few days, they arrived at a small town. Though not large, it was the central hub for the surrounding hundred li, its marketplace bustling with people who had come to trade.
They looked around and saw all sorts of things for sale, mostly magical artifacts and spiritual herbs, but also food and clothing. Although most cultivators practiced inedia and didn’t need to eat, occasionally indulging their palates wasn’t unheard of.
Besides, food in the immortal realm often had restorative properties. Eating some when necessary was sometimes faster than cultivating.
Qi Qing, remembering Yu Yan’s condition from the previous night and worried she hadn’t fully recovered, asked if she wanted to eat something. Yu Yan had been thinking the same but was worried it might be inconvenient for Qi Qing. Hearing her suggestion, she immediately responded, “Yes! What would you like to eat?”
“I’m fine with anything. You pick what you like!”
“I’m worried you won’t like what I like. You choose.”
“It’s fine. You were injured, so you should choose!”
After deferring to each other for a while, they suddenly burst out laughing. They weren’t short of money; if they really wanted to eat something, there was no need to keep passing the choice back and forth. They could just get everything.
So, they strolled along, stopping at stalls that caught their eye, buying small portions to taste. Some stall owners, seeing their radiant, almost divine appearance, offered them free samples. All these snack stalls had been tested by countless customers; any that had been open for so long couldn’t be too bad. A few had exceptionally good flavors, and Yu Yan couldn’t help but eat a bit more. Qi Qing secretly took note and then snuck off to buy larger portions for her.
Before long, Yu Yan’s hands were laden with oil-paper packages, while Qi Qing was still darting between stalls, tirelessly continuing her shopping spree.
“We can’t eat this much,” Yu Yan said hastily. “Don’t buy any more.”
“If we can’t eat it now, we can save it,” Qi Qing said with a smile. “We’ll be traveling later anyway, so it’s always good to have extra food.”
“Alright,” Yu Yan had to agree. But she had to admit, she hadn’t felt this kind of satisfaction in a long time. Most people in the Heavenly Palace were desireless and sought nothing, and they certainly wouldn’t join in such bustling activities. Even if they occasionally felt an urge, they would only make something like sweet dew, which would slide into their Dantian before they could even taste it.
But now, she held fried snacks, boiled skewers, fish fillets, and roasted dried fruits – a dozen different kinds at least.
Perhaps it was human nature to enjoy hoarding. Even if she couldn’t eat it all, just looking at such a dazzling array of food made her happy. And what made her happiest was having someone to share it with; food became even more delicious when shared.
She looked at Qi Qing, who wasn’t far off, a smile playing on her lips.
But after watching for a moment, she suddenly realized something.
“Qi Qing!” she called out.
“What’s wrong?” Qi Qing ran over, holding a skewer of fish balls.
“Your clothes,” Yu Yan said, “Don’t you want to change them?”
Qi Qing looked down and realized she was still wearing her Heavenly Sword Sect disciple uniform. Though it was quite pretty, she had already left the sect and really didn’t need to wear it anymore.
More importantly, it really dampened her mood.
She didn’t know why, but while she had previously only disliked Ling Aorui, now her aversion extended to the entire Heavenly Sword Sect. However, she couldn’t very well change clothes in the middle of the street, so she said, “Let’s find a place to change.”
The town wasn’t large and only had one inn, which was back at the end of the road they’d come from. They hadn’t decided whether to stay here yet, so there was no need to go all the way back just to rent a room to change. Besides, she had left in a hurry and hadn’t brought any other clothes. They could browse a tailor shop and have a few outfits made for changes.
The two looked around and spotted a shop nearby.
The tailor shops here didn’t sell ready-made clothes, only bolts of fabric. Qi Qing looked at the mountains of cloth, unable to tell the good from the bad, so she asked Yu Yan to help her choose.
Yu Yan pondered for a moment, then asked her to stand straight.
Qi Qing did as she was told and stood straight. Yu Yan pulled over bolts of fabric, holding them against her one by one. Qi Qing felt Yu Yan’s fingers brush lightly against her and couldn’t help but recall the events of the previous night.
That was right, last night they had…
Although it was for healing, they had indeed been naked together.
The situation had been urgent at the time, and she hadn’t had a chance to look closely. But memory was like that; the vaguer it was, the more easily it could be romanticized beyond reality. Now, Qi Qing’s memory had been “modded” into something decidedly not child-friendly. If she let her thoughts wander any further, it would become an R-rated feature requiring parental guidance.
Qi Qing tried to stop her thoughts, but the sensual images stubbornly flashed before her eyes. And at this very moment, Yu Yan was standing right in front of her; even if she wanted to pretend she didn’t see her, she couldn’t.
Her face grew redder and redder. Both Yu Yan and the shopkeeper looked at her, puzzled. Yu Yan had to stop, wondering if she had accidentally touched somewhere inappropriate.
At this thought, she too became a little flustered.
With both young women blushing, how could the shopkeeper not understand? She smoothly changed the subject, taking the fabric. Yu Yan stepped back, composing herself, and indeed found several bolts that complemented Qi Qing’s complexion.
The shopkeeper continuously praised Yu Yan’s good eye and complimented Qi Qing on her beauty. Her words pleased them both, and they quickly selected several bolts of fabric to have clothes custom-made for Qi Qing.
After the measurements were taken, the two sat waiting in the anteroom. The air was quiet, filled with an unspoken tension that felt like it was about to ignite something.
In the end, it was Qi Qing who spoke first. “Um, about last night… I’m sorry.”
She felt she had to take responsibility for it. After all, no matter how you looked at it, she was the one who had undressed the other.
So much had happened last night that Yu Yan wasn’t sure which specific incident she was referring to. “What about it?” she asked.
“It’s just…” Qi Qing had already risked her face exploding from blushing just to utter that apology. For Yu Yan to ask for clarification was truly putting her on the spot. She stammered for a moment, then said, “Never mind. Just pretend I didn’t say anything.”
Her reaction, however, made Yu Yan understand.
She immediately felt a little uncomfortable herself.
Although she had teased Qi Qing many times before, it was because she hadn’t had feelings for her. One always handles things with ease when one doesn’t care; once the heart is involved, things are no longer so effortless.
While she wouldn’t say she was deeply in love now, things were undeniably different from when they first met.
Perhaps it was seeing the other fight so hard for her, or her willingness to brave the severe cold to heal her. Perhaps it was her growing curiosity about the other, or the spark of jealousy she felt when the fox got close to her. Many, many small details. At first, she had pitied Qi Qing; now, she genuinely liked her a little.
Thinking of the image of them naked together, she naturally blushed. But Qi Qing had already made the atmosphere tense; if she fanned the flames, it would be truly difficult to manage. So, she could only feign composure.
“It’s alright. Desperate times call for desperate measures. I haven’t even thanked you for healing me.”
Yu Yan struggled to shift the topic to the healing, deliberately downplaying the erotic element of the incident. But the more she tried, the more it felt like she was covering something up. Qi Qing felt the same. She opened her mouth a few times before finally saying, “It’s fine.”
The two sat where they were, their faces flushed with embarrassment.
Just then, the shopkeeper came over and called Qi Qing to try on the clothes.
“So quickly?” Qi Qing was surprised.
She had forgotten this was the immortal realm, where many convenient magical tools existed. Tailor shops, for instance, mostly had rapid tailoring devices. As long as one provided the design and measurements, the garments could be made very quickly.
Qi Qing was led into the fitting room by the shopkeeper. She held the clothes, feeling their weight. The fabric was excellent – very thin, yet not the kind that would fly away with a gust of wind. It draped well and felt cool to the touch. She changed into the clothes and found the size was indeed perfect. However, there was no mirror in the fitting room, so she didn’t know how it looked.
Thinking of Yu Yan waiting outside, she suddenly felt a little hesitant to go out.
What if it looked terrible? Yu Yan was so beautiful; standing next to her already made Qi Qing feel out of place. If she wore clothes so ornate they’d steal the show, wouldn’t it just further highlight how unsightly she was?
But she couldn’t stay in there forever. Finally, she gritted her teeth and walked towards the door.
Yu Yan was talking to the shopkeeper. When she saw Qi Qing come out, she turned her head, and a smile immediately bloomed on her face.
“It’s over,” Qi Qing thought. “It’s so ugly, she’s laughing.”
She immediately turned to go back into the fitting room but was stopped by Yu Yan before she could enter. “Why are you going back in?”
“I don’t want it,” Qi Qing said, her face crestfallen. “It doesn’t look good.”
“No, it looks great. I was just about to say it looked good when you ran off.”
“It doesn’t look good. You were laughing.”
“I was laughing because it looks good. People laugh when they see something beautiful.”
“They also laugh when they see something funny. I must look ridiculous.”
Seeing Qi Qing looking so aggrieved, Yu Yan felt an urge to pull her into an embrace and comfort her. It was strange; why was it so infuriating when the fox acted like this, yet so adorable when Qi Qing did? Even her unreasonable pestering, Yu Yan found sweet. Patiently, she said, “Qi Qing, listen to me. You don’t look ridiculous in this outfit. You look very beautiful.”
Qi Qing was still unconvinced. “Really?”
“Really, I swear.” Yu Yan raised three fingers, a gesture for swearing an oath to the heavens.
Qi Qing quickly stopped her. “No, no, I believe you.”
“So don’t hide. Let me have a good look, okay?” Yu Yan coaxed softly.
There was nothing to it, but her tone was so earnest that it made Qi Qing want to run away again. She felt that her own appearance couldn’t bear repeated scrutiny. In contrast, Yu Yan’s beauty was such that it inspired awe, making one afraid to profane it. How could she dare let such a beautiful person “have a good look” at her?
Seeing her shielding her body, looking troubled, Yu Yan had no choice but to say, “Alright, I won’t look. Go look at yourself in the mirror. It really is beautiful. I’m not lying to you.”
“Then… can you turn around? I’m a little nervous.”
Yu Yan smiled, turned around, and closed her eyes.
Only then did Qi Qing breathe a sigh of relief. Holding the hem of her skirt, she walked to the mirror. Mirrors of this era were already quite close to modern ones. Except for the mirror surface not being as hard as machine-produced ones, they were otherwise no different.
She saw herself in the mirror. There was nothing particularly unusual. The clothes were simple and elegant, a style one could wear out. However, because the fabric was so light, it gave the illusion of not wearing anything.
But overall, it was presentable.
She turned to look. Yu Yan still had her back to her.
She took a deep breath, walked over, and tapped Yu Yan’s shoulder.
“Well? I didn’t lie to you, did I?” Yu Yan asked with a smile, without turning around.
“Mm…” Qi Qing fidgeted for a moment, then said, “Do you want to see?”
Only then did Yu Yan turn around.
Qi Qing took a few steps back, revealing her full appearance.
Yu Yan stood there, slowly looking her up and down. Qi Qing had initially met her gaze but soon couldn’t hold it. Yu Yan’s face was already incredibly beautiful. Before, on the mountain, wearing a veil, it hadn’t been as impactful. Later, although they had been together constantly, she hadn’t looked closely, so it hadn’t felt strange. But now, to have such a beautiful Yu Yan staring at her so intently… honestly, it felt a bit like her gaze was caressing her body.
This sensation of being watched made Qi Qing feel hot all over, as if, were she to be looked at any longer, the gaze would strip her bare and expose the spring scenery beneath.
She regretted it a little, regretting her impulsive suggestion.
But the words were already out, so she could only brace herself and wait.
After a long moment, Yu Yan finally said, “Mm, indeed very beautiful.”
This statement was ambiguous again. Was she beautiful, or were the clothes beautiful?
Qi Qing didn’t dare ask. She was about to timidly change the subject when she heard Yu Yan say, “But you’re a little more beautiful.”
After saying this, Yu Yan got up and went to the counter to pay, leaving a blushing Qi Qing standing there in a daze.
Really now, she thought Yu Yan wouldn’t tease her anymore. Turns out, it was just a temporary break.
Qi Qing clutched her skirt, starting to wonder if Yu Yan had ever had a Daoist companion.
After a while, she realized she was just looking for trouble. Whether Yu Yan had a Daoist companion or not was none of her business. Even if she didn’t, could Yu Yan really be with her?
Qi Qing, wake up!
Look in the mirror. How could someone like her possibly be interested in you?
But having said that, a question suddenly arose in Qi Qing’s mind.
Actually, she had wanted to ask this question for a long time, but for various reasons, she had never been able to voice it.
That was—why, why was Yu Yan so good to her?
Yes, these words were truly ungrateful, truly benefiting yet feigning innocence. But every cause has its effect; she didn’t believe in love or hatred without reason in this world. Even if there was, it would be universal love, great love, not a small, personal love that only descended upon her. Of course, she wasn’t trying to guess Yu Yan’s intentions, but without this point being clear, she could never feel at ease.
It wasn’t a matter of course for others to be good to her.
Qi Qing didn’t consider herself a beauty, nor had she enjoyed many perks of beauty growing up. So, unlike those great beauties who could accept kindness without a second thought, she was very sensitive to, and cherished, the kindness of others. If she wanted to repay it, she had to understand the reason behind it and what kind of reciprocation was expected.
But she didn’t want to hurt Yu Yan. So, she planned to ask indirectly. Even if she couldn’t find out, it wouldn’t matter; at least she would have tried.
When evening came, the two found a quiet private residence to stay for the night. The owner of the house was an old woman. Being alone and without children, she warmly welcomed young ladies like them. After enthusiastically preparing dinner and a guest room for them, she even ordered her servants not to disturb them. Thus, in the large guest courtyard, there were only the two of them.
Qi Qing saw this as a good opportunity and invited her for a stroll in the garden.
Yu Yan readily agreed.
The moonlight was as cool as water. As they trod on the shadows of the branches, there was indeed an illusion of a “courtyard like accumulated water, with algae and water plants within it.” After walking for a while, Qi Qing smiled and said, “I don’t know if it’s because I’ve suddenly relaxed, but I feel that even though I don’t know you well yet, being with you gives me a sense of peace.”
Yu Yan paused for a moment, then said, “Perhaps it’s because I’m not aggressive towards you.”
“Is that so?” Qi Qing said. “When I first met you, I felt you were rather difficult to get along with.”
“Something had happened back then, and I was in a bad mood.” Yu Yan thought for a moment. At that time, she was in despair from being punished by the Heavenly Emperor. In truth, no matter who appeared outside, she wouldn’t have treated them kindly.
It was only because Qi Qing looked harmless that she hadn’t made things too difficult for her.
“I reflected on it later. I shouldn’t have ordered you to do menial labor.”
“No, no, no, I actually quite like cleaning,” Qi Qing said. “Besides, for such a small matter, you helped me so much later. Even if I were utterly ungrateful, I wouldn’t blame you for that.”
As the conversation naturally flowed to this point, Qi Qing’s heart leaped into her throat.
She didn’t know how Yu Yan would answer. Would she be vague, or would she explain things clearly?
Yu Yan did not answer.
She didn’t know how to answer.
Her motive for approaching Qi Qing was indeed impure, and this was her greatest guilt. But she couldn’t be sure what would happen if she confessed.
Qi Qing seemed easygoing, but an inner blue flame burned within her. Once her bottom line was touched, even the most powerful external force would be ruthlessly shattered by her.
Could she bear that outcome?
If she told the truth and disappointed Qi Qing, she would never be able to return to the Heavenly Palace.
But if she herself wasn’t honest, how could she expect the other to be honest?
Yu Yan wanted to understand Qi Qing better, to know why she was in pain, and what kind of tangled past she had. But all of this had to be built on the foundation that she herself was not lying. If she concealed things, Qi Qing wouldn’t tell her the truth either.
What kind of bright future could a relationship built on lies have?
Yu Yan took a deep breath and said, “Qi Qing, there’s something I want to tell you.”
Seeing her so solemn, Qi Qing knew that what she was about to say must be very important. So, she stood up straight to face her and said, “Okay.”
“Before I say it, I want to give you a suggestion. Regardless of whether you feel disgust, disappointment, or rejection after hearing it, I can accept it. I can also promise not to bother you again,” Yu Yan said. “But I don’t want you to return to the Heavenly Sword Sect. This can be considered a bit of selfishness on my part. Whether you agree or not, I can’t control your actions, but I’d like to ask you to think carefully about whether that place is worth going back to.”
Qi Qing said, “Don’t worry, I can guarantee this. I will never go back in this lifetime.”
“Good. Then I’ll tell you now.” Yu Yan gritted her teeth and said, “I approached you with, indeed, an ulterior motive.”
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Wisdom from a thousand years of cultivation.
Qi Qing still had a long way to go.