Chapter 23
As it grew late, Sheng Ningyu did not go looking for Madam Xiang, but returned to her own residence.
She abruptly stopped speaking, her expression turning curious: "Is this what you really look like?"
Sheng Ningyu: "?"
She took the water-moon mirror from the little girl and looked at herself carefully.
Good news, she's still herself, she hasn't become ugly or strange.
The bad news is that she looks like she's seventeen again.
Sheng Ningyu: "..."
She finally understood what those old man's lousy pills were for.
Sheng Ningyu felt that Yuan Daojun just wanted to see her make a fool of herself.
That old geezer is really wicked.
Sheng Ningyu's mind raced with countless thoughts, but a hint of shyness appeared on her face: "I previously consumed a demonic substance, which altered my appearance..."
Sheng Ningyu's verses were full of ups and downs, and Ji Qingwu listened with rapt attention.
"That's why Madam Xiang was so surprised when she saw you. It turns out you're not a descendant of the Sword Master, but the daughter of Madam's lost relative!"
“My name will be Mingyue.” Sheng Ningyu paused, then added, “I only learned today that my surname is Wang, my given name is Jiu, and my courtesy name is Mingyue. Sister Qingwu, you can call me by my given name or courtesy name from now on.”
Wang Jiu, courtesy name Mingyue.
The name is so ordinary that it blends into the crowd.
Sheng Ningyu didn't believe it. Qingyi Academy was full of talented people, and there was no one who would have time to notice such an ordinary name.
Sheng Ningyu sighed: "Madam Xiang misses my mother very much, and I will probably go and visit her tomorrow. As for the rest, I trust You Lingshi and my junior brother. If they ask, just say so."
He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately couldn't bring himself to say "Brother Youling".
That's incredibly shameless.
After Sheng Ningyu told Madam Xiang all this, she saw the other woman cover her lips with a handkerchief and giggle.
"Then I've really gotten a great deal," Madam Xiang laughed. "I've gained such a wonderful junior for nothing."
"What kind of talk is this?"
Madam Xiang raised her hand and added another layer of protection. She then served a new plate of pastries, smiling as she watched her eat them bite by bite. She felt incredibly satisfied. "My lady, it's good that I'm useful."
If, like sixty years ago, one could only sit idly waiting for one piece of news after another, true or false, then it would be better to truly become a mindless demon, at least with a sliver of hope that one could earn the Sword Master's favor before death.
Lady Xiang handed her the prepared incense, along with a galaxy pouch as a bonus.
In terms of functionality, the Star River Pouch is no different from an ordinary storage pouch; the only difference is that it is more ornate and attractive in appearance.
Only a carefree, young immortal would like that.
Madam Xiang cautiously probed, "The old patriarch told me that the palace is currently sealed off in preparation for the reopening of Qingyi Academy in half a month. He said that you, Shuhe, and your younger brother will also be going to Qingyi Academy, so I prepared some things... I wonder if they suit your taste?"
"How could I not love such a beautiful little sachet?"
In front of Xiang Bieyun, Sheng Ningyu hung the sachet around her waist and patted it, saying, "Thank you, Sister Ayan. With this, I won't have to worry about where to store my talismans anymore."
Remembering the Snow Melting Talisman, Madam Xiang covered her lips and laughed again.
After laughing, she lowered her eyes and carefully pushed an inconspicuous wooden bracelet in front of Sheng Ningyu.
“If you are going to the academy, it will be inconvenient to use the blindfold bead again. This item is called the ‘breath-concealing bracelet’. It can not only conceal your aura and cover the scars on your wrist, but also prevent people below the Heavenly Authority Realm from detecting your spiritual bones. They will only think you are a junior disciple of the Hidden Origin Realm. If you want to use your sword in the academy, no one will notice anything amiss.”
"However, this thing can only accept spiritual power from those at the Insightful Realm at most. If it goes any higher, it will probably shatter instantly."
As Xiang Bieyun spoke, she herself began to frown.
Sheng Ningyu grasped the wooden bracelet and rubbed her fingers on it a few times.
Although it's called a wooden bracelet, the wood doesn't resemble ordinary pear wood; it's more like a variant of Phoebe zhennan wood found in the mortal world.
Under the sunlight, the table seemed to shimmer with a silvery light.
Sheng Ningyu's brows remained furrowed. She pondered for a moment, then said, "If I'm not mistaken, you..."
“My lord!” Xiang Bieyun interrupted, her chest heaving violently. “If you don’t like it, just throw the bracelet into the lake.”
Sheng Ningyu had never seen Xiang Bieyun so assertive before, and was momentarily stunned. Then she got up, walked to her side, squatted down, and looked up at her: "Sister Ayan, that's not what I meant."
"But I am."
Xiang Bieyun clenched her fists, then slowly opened them. She dared not look at Sheng Ningyu, afraid that if she did, she would not want to make things difficult for her again.
But today, she must accept the bracelet.
Xiang Bieyun closed her eyes and slowly opened her mouth.
"Please don't think about how you got this bracelet. Just tell me whether it's of any help to you."
How could there not be?
Such a bracelet, which combines the heart's blood of an extremely powerful demon, could not possibly be an ordinary object.
But this is my heart's blood.
Sheng Ningyu had read stories in the mortal realm, and the most outrageous thing the immortal lords did was often to take the heart's blood of a female cultivator.
Although the plot is cliché, the author was absolutely right about the importance of the heart's blood.
Especially for those with demonic or ghostly bodies, every drop of blood lost is a drop less, and each drop contains their powerful ghostly cultivation.
No wonder she hadn't seen Madam Xiang for several days.
"……some."
Sheng Ningyu tilted her head back, sighed silently, and gently tugged at Madam Xiang's sleeve: "Sister Ayan, please don't be angry with me."
Madam Xiang closed her eyes and whispered, "If you wish to make amends, please hug me again."
Sheng Ningyu looked at her quietly, then hugged her arm and leaned against her.
"Don't be angry with me." Sheng Ningyu lowered her voice. "I'm not being distant with you, I just... I had my spiritual bones removed, I know it hurts a lot, I don't want you to get hurt, and I don't want you to feel pain."
She took the sword to protect herself and everyone standing behind her.
It was like that when I was a child, and it is still like that now.
Suddenly, Lady Xiang burst into tears.
She finally wrapped her arms around Sheng Ningyu's shoulders tightly.
“Since you call me ‘sister,’ let me do something for you.” Xiang Bieyun placed the bracelet into Sheng Ningyu’s palm and said, “Just this once.”
Sheng Ningyu suddenly smiled, her familiar carefree expression returning: "It's my kindness that I'm receiving, but you're making it sound like you're begging me to accept it."
She raised her hand to wipe away Madam Xiang's tears, then leaned on her shoulder.
“But Sister Yan, this is a one-time thing. If you do this again next time, I will also give you my own heart’s blood in return.”
Madam Xiang's heart trembled at just hearing these words, and she said in a fluster, "I understand, my lord, please don't say such things again."
Seeing how nervous she was, Sheng Ningyu couldn't help but smile.
After calming Xiang Bieyun down, Sheng Ningyu returned to her residence with the incense she had given her.
Yuan Daojun used the excuse of "unified training for disciples" to refuse any visitors and semi-closed Yunwang Palace. The young girl Ji Qingwu was so busy that she could hardly be seen, and Sheng Ningyu also moved to a new residence.
It's definitely more comfortable to be in your own room.
Sheng Ningyu opened the stopper of the incense bottle.
The fragrance is delicate and subtle, filling the air.
Ethereal as snow falling on flower petals, mysterious and unpredictable, yet with a touch of familiarity.
Mrs. Xiang said that this was a fragrance she specially made for her back then, and she had never given it to anyone else.
Sheng Ningyu believed that Madam Xiang would not lie to her about such a matter.
But Sheng Ningyu had smelled this fragrance many times since she woke up.
At first sight, and when getting close.
Beside the screen inside the original Daojun room.
And then there was the day she thought of her aunt, and after she leaned against the railing and took a nap, she woke up.
...
Xie Qianjing.
Sheng Ningyu pursed her lips slightly, propped her head up in a daze, and unconsciously wrote and drew on the table with her right hand.
The things Yuan Daojun said that day, such as "the son of an old friend, who has suffered greatly," "I cannot forgive him, it is to find him," and "it was also mentioned in Shuhe's notes," seemed to have no flaws and were exactly the same as what Xie Qianjing said when he first met her.
But Sheng Ningyu still didn't believe it.
For some reason, even though she had no memory of this person, Sheng Ningyu was convinced that she must have met Xie Qianjing.
If the memory does not contain him, then the memory is wrong.
This is also why she decided to go to Qingyi Academy to test those old friends.
Sheng Ningyu lay on her back on the bed, looking at her right wrist, which was covered in ugly, winding scars. She could still vaguely recall how someone had gently and carefully wrapped it with gauze and tied it with a beautiful knot.
He seemed to have a grudge against her, yet he also seemed to care more about her injuries than she did.
Sheng Ningyu stared for a while, then chuckled to herself at the empty room.
"Xie Qianjing." She tilted her head, casually tossing the pill Yuan Daojun had given her aside, and muttered to herself, "Who exactly are you?"
She'll definitely ask him for an explanation next time they meet.
A note from the author:
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