After Rebirth, the Heroine is Consumed by Overwhelming Regret Chapter 35

When Qi Qing opened her eyes again, a picturesque scene, like a painting of a countryside retreat by the water, unfolded before her. A gentle stream flowed by; farmhouses, small boats, lotus flowers, and the setting sun together formed an idyllic picture, as if described in a poem.
Having suddenly arrived here from the vast sea, Qi Qing felt a bit disoriented, unsure of where or when she was. But she was in no mood to admire the beautiful scenery. She knew another person, currently hidden, was with her. This person’s identity was unclear, and if they had malicious intentions, she would have no chance of survival.
“Who exactly are you!” Qi Qing demanded.
The other person sighed. “It’s me.”
The tone was indeed Yu Yan’s, and her appearance was no different. But Qi Qing couldn’t understand; if Yu Yan was alright, why hadn’t she stopped Qi Qing from entering?
They could have clearly left directly, without getting involved in this mess.
“You’re right to suspect me,” Yu Yan said. “Logically, I indeed shouldn’t be here. Listen to my explanation slowly, and you’ll understand when I’m done.”
It turned out that when Yu Yan realized she had gotten separated from Qi Qing, she thought of going to a place where she could hire transport to find a guide. Firstly, this would allow her to quickly understand the terrain and confirm Qi Qing’s location. Secondly, she could find a suitable pawnshop to quickly sell her items.
This approach was perfectly fine, and the guide she found was definitely not a suspicious person. But all the businesses in the entire Fallen Wind City were actually controlled by Hua Yayun. So no matter who guided her, it would ultimately lead her into Hua Yayun’s trap.
At first, Yu Yan didn’t realize she had fallen into a trap.
It was when she was dealing with the third shopkeeper that she noticed their stories were surprisingly consistent. Consistency itself wasn’t a problem, but their words all seemed to deliberately stall for time.
Although she found it strange at the time, she hadn’t yet thought in that direction. She still thought it was their negotiation tactic. Many pawnshops would use a tactic of deliberately delaying customers; the more valuable the magic artifact, the more they would pretend to be uninterested, find faults, or drag things out, to make the customer doubt the quality of their item and thus psychologically lower their expected price.
And when encountering an unfamiliar face like Yu Yan, who was eager to sell, they would be even more determined to firmly hold the initiative. As long as they weren’t in a hurry, Yu Yan would be the one feeling anxious.
And the way to break through this tactic was also very simple.
It was: to turn around and leave directly.
If they really wanted the item, they would definitely call the customer back. This was an unspoken rule. If the other party asked her to stay, it clearly meant they still wanted it. This way, through some back-and-forth, it wouldn’t be difficult to reach an agreement.
But the strange thing was this.
Yu Yan pretended to leave, but they actually didn’t ask her to stay.
If it were a novice who didn’t know the trade, they would definitely think their item wasn’t good enough. But Yu Yan wasn’t. She was very clear about the value of her items. However, the way the other party acted clearly indicated something was wrong.
She thought for a long time about what the problem could be, but couldn’t figure it out.
If they didn’t understand the value of these treasures, then there was no need for them to waste words with her or drag things out. But if they knew the value, why would they let her leave?
Yu Yan had also considered whether these shops had colluded to drive the price down. But even this didn’t make sense. How could they be sure she would definitely trade in Fallen Wind City?
Besides, even if they had the same owner, there would still be competition between the various branches. If anyone among them became greedy, this plan wouldn’t be able to continue.
Unless, someone had given them an order.
Even if they acquired the items, they wouldn’t be able to sell them.
Their delaying tactics were at someone’s behest.
This possibility was small, but not non-existent. When all other possibilities didn’t make sense, this was the only explanation left.
Yu Yan understood she had been tricked into a scheme. Of course, since she was already in, Qi Qing’s situation wouldn’t be much better.
So, for Qi Qing’s sake, she couldn’t act rashly for the time being.
But it was crucial to figure out Qi Qing’s situation. She secretly sent out a wisp of her divine soul to wander above Fallen Wind City. At first, she didn’t find her, and thought Qi Qing had already been captured.
Who knew, just as she started to worry, she found Qi Qing appearing, bright and well, at the entrance of Fu Xiang’s shop.
So she secretly followed and saw everything.
Of course, she couldn’t appear directly; after all, her physical body was still in the other party’s hands. She could only follow Qi Qing from a distance, hoping for an opportunity to rescue her. But Hua Yayun truly lived up to her reputation as an old fox; the defenses along the way were impeccable. Even the divine artifact used to imprison her was of the Great Overarching Golden Immortal level. It wasn’t strange for the other party to possess such a divine artifact; those in the pawnshop business all had extraordinary wealth and backgrounds. It was just that using such an item on her was a bit of an overkill.
So Yu Yan could only follow as a divine soul. Fortunately, even someone as cunning as Hua Yayun had an oversight. The one thing she hadn’t anticipated was that Yu Yan’s true identity was a Grand Unity True Immortal, and her divine soul could still use magic power after leaving her body.
Speaking of a divine soul leaving the body, actually, all cultivators at the Soul Transformation stage and above could do it. But before ascension, their physical body was still the vessel for their cultivation, and they couldn’t leave it for extended periods. But Yu Yan had already become a deity, so she wasn’t bound by this restriction.
“So, you were… because of me…”
Qi Qing had completely dispelled her doubts by now. But realizing that Yu Yan was captured because of her, guilt surged up again. She only said, “So that’s how it is. I’m sorry, I doubted you just now. But your physical body is still there. What if they use it to threaten you?”
“She has already sworn an oath, so it shouldn’t be a major issue,” Yu Yan said slowly. “I came with you, not to make you worry—I wanted to say, Hua Yayun might have deceived you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Haven’t you noticed something wrong? If this secret realm was really as Hua Yayun described, where other things absolutely couldn’t be touched, she could have easily sent more people in to supervise you, ensuring you leave right after getting the item. That would be the safest approach.”
“…You mean, the rules she mentioned are fake?” Qi Qing was a bit confused. Wasn’t the reason for not letting others in because she was afraid they would have malicious thoughts and affect her obtaining the golden cup?
“If she was afraid others would have malicious thoughts, couldn’t she have accompanied you herself? Does she lack even that much self-control?” Yu Yan said. “If you think about it carefully, you’ll realize her words don’t stand up to scrutiny. And most likely, she isn’t such a charitable person. Sending you in was definitely not just to use your luck.”
Qi Qing still didn’t quite understand. But since Yu Yan said so, she must have her reasons. She nodded and then asked, “Then what should we do now?”
“Since we’re already in, let’s explore with peace of mind. The reason Hua Yayun doesn’t dare to enter might not be due to some danger, but perhaps something else… At the very least, she wouldn’t risk letting you come in and mess things up. If you can’t get the golden cup, it would be her loss too.” Yu Yan pondered for a moment. “I haven’t figured out what she’s truly up to either. We can only take it one step at a time.”
The two were silent for a while, then walked forward side by side.
According to the map, the place where the golden cup was located was far from the entrance. Although they could ride their swords, even so, it would take several days.
Qi Qing hadn’t used her spiritual energy for the past few days, so her power was currently abundant. She rode her white dragon, carrying Yu Yan, and flew towards that place. After flying for a day and a half, her spiritual energy was depleted, and she had to stop to rest.
There were many farmhouses in this secret realm, so they didn’t have to worry about finding a place to stay. The two found a relatively clean house and tidied it up to spend the night. Qi Qing also took out some food to replenish her spiritual energy and aid her cultivation.
Yu Yan couldn’t eat; she was just a soul now.
Qi Qing watched her sitting there, translucent, swaying slightly whenever the wind blew. Suddenly, an idea struck her, and she asked, “A-Yan, are you afraid of ghosts?”
“Ghosts?” Yu Yan paused for a moment, then said, “I used to be, but after becoming a deity, I’m not afraid anymore.”
“Then let’s tell ghost stories,” Qi Qing said. “Look at this place, it’s gloomy and terrifying, in the middle of the sea, without a single living soul around. It’s perfect for telling ghost stories.”
Yu Yan stared at her for a moment and said, “No.”
“You’re still scared, aren’t you?” Qi Qing said.
“Not scared, not at all.” Yu Yan’s soul seemed to become a little more transparent. She added, “You’re not allowed to tell any, or I’ll get angry.”
“I’m going to tell one anyway.” Qi Qing coughed twice. She saw Yu Yan become so transparent she was almost invisible. Just as she was about to speak, Yu Yan suddenly floated over and leaned against her.
“Don’t tell, don’t tell.” Yu Yan’s voice trembled slightly. She curled up beside her, motionless. But warmed by Qi Qing’s body heat, she gradually returned to her normal appearance, no longer so transparent, like a lonely ghost that might disappear at any moment.
“So tell me, are you scared or not?”
“…Mhm.”
“If you were scared, why didn’t you come over sooner? Did you need me to provoke you?”
“…I was a little embarrassed. If I hadn’t been so focused on getting things done and hadn’t met up with you sooner, perhaps we wouldn’t have been dragged into this scheme. In the end, this matter is still my fault.”
“What are you talking about? This is all my fault. If I hadn’t run around carelessly and picked up these troublesome items, we might have already passed through the demon realm by now.”
“No, if I hadn’t tricked you into eating the Purple Sun Snowfish, we might not have offended Hua Yayun. And that sword, I actually forced you to accept it. All said and done, it’s all my fault.”
“Even if those were your ideas, I was the ultimate beneficiary. You’re good to me, I know all of that, A-Yan. Don’t feel guilty. You’ve treated me better than anyone else in the world. I don’t know how to repay you, and I would never blame you.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“But…”
“It’s alright. As long as we’re together, there’s nothing to be afraid of. Everything will pass, won’t it?”
The two looked at each other for a moment. Qi Qing suddenly said, “Want to kiss?”
Yu Yan hadn’t intended this initially, but being stared at so intently by her, she couldn’t help but blush and slowly nodded.
Come to think of it, they hadn’t been intimate for a long time.
With this sudden emotion arising, both felt a little nervous. Although permission was given, it didn’t happen so smoothly. They only slowly approached each other, testing, touching, sucking, deepening. A feeling that was somewhat familiar yet strange, made all the more thrilling and stimulating because it was a direct union with a soul.
Then, desire suddenly surged.
Looking into each other’s passionate eyes, obscure emotions inexplicably appeared and then faded. They clearly wanted to go further, but hesitated, unsure of the other’s thoughts.
And the night was so long.
They were in such an enclosed and safe environment; there probably wasn’t another soul for thousands of miles around. It was inevitable that more thoughts would arise. Besides, things had already reached this point; could they really just pretend not to know anything and gloss over it?
“Should we… do it?”