Ye Yingying (2)
Ye Yingying had long harbored the intention to perish together with the Ghost Calculator, but she was never sure whether she could expel the Ghost Calculator's soul from her body with her cultivation level.
Fortunately, she won her gamble. The Ghost Calculator's fear of the Azure True Fire far exceeded her expectations, which gave her a sliver of opportunity. The eerie blue flames devoured their bodies, and the Ghost Calculator's eyes gradually became unfocused—a sign that her soul was beginning to peel away. In just a moment, this body would be completely taken over by the True Fire.
However, at the same time, Ye Yingying's consciousness was also rapidly fading. Perhaps manipulating the true fire in this way far exceeded her limits; her five senses gradually blurred, and her vision was being devoured by darkness.
It's alright. She secretly reassured herself; at least it would free Yun Yanqiu. Imagining that person emerging from the pot and seeing two empty shells, perhaps he would be as furious as Yuan Cheng had been?
But there was no other way; this was the best she could think of. He should understand—even if they could no longer be by each other's side, it was better than dying together. Besides, this would stop the illusion from expanding further and save countless lives; Yun Yanqiu would surely understand.
She tried to convince herself, but the image of Yun Yanqiu sitting alone in front of the grave in the past kept lingering in her mind.
Just then, the fortune teller finally lost consciousness, the bronze pot rolling from his hand, a wisp of smoke rising from its spout. Ye Yingying collapsed to the ground, exhausted, and in her hazy state, she saw a familiar figure rushing towards her, entering her field of vision just before she completely disappeared into darkness.
In the end, he'll be left all alone again...
Her consciousness plummeted into an icy abyss, countless cold hands dragging her towards its depths. This feeling was all too familiar—for nearly a century, she had been adrift in this darkness, unable to live or die. The agony was unbearable, but she had no other choice.
At worst, I can sleep for another hundred years and return to the world. But by then, Yunyan Hill will likely already be long gone…
Darkness surged in like a tide, and Ye Yingying felt her consciousness being torn apart by countless fragments of memories. In those fragmented images, there was the figure of Yun Yanqiu: his taut profile when he held his sword, the glimmer in his eyes when he looked at her, and the words he said, "I'll wait for you," when he rested half his face against her palm in the Yuancheng Inn.
She couldn't sleep! This thought suddenly pierced through the chaos, and she gritted her teeth, desperately fighting against the sticky darkness.
Suddenly, a tiny blue spark burst forth from the darkness. The spark was bright and dazzling, burning ever brighter until it transformed into a raging inferno. Ye Yingying felt a sharp pain, as if steel needles were piercing through her limbs and bones, making every inch of her soul scream. But it was this burning pain that forcefully pulled her back to her senses.
Ye Yingying suddenly opened her eyes, a fleeting, icy touch on her cheek, like snow, like a tear. Her blurred vision gradually cleared, revealing a vast expanse of snow-covered ground—
"Awake?" A cool voice came from above. Ye Yingying sat up and saw that unforgettable face.
"I did it!" Overjoyed, she threw herself into his arms, rubbing her cheek against his strong and warm chest, but suddenly realized that her body was unusually stiff.
She looked up in confusion, following the other person's fair neck upwards, only to meet a pair of bewildered eyes. Yun Yanqiu's ears turned bright red, and her Adam's apple bobbed slightly: "What do you mean by this?" Her hoarse voice desperately suppressed an indescribable longing.
"I... um..." Ye Yingying was speechless for a moment, vaguely feeling that something was not quite right, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
"If you're trying to use the new tricks of the Rakshasa Jade, I advise you to stop now."
Huh? Ye Yingying's pupils contracted sharply, her face full of confusion. Seeing this, Yun Yanqiu frowned slightly: "You don't think you can get away with pretending to be stupid, do you?"
"No, no, no!" She hurriedly jumped away, bowing her head respectfully. "I was just half asleep, please forgive me, senior..."
As she spoke, she secretly glanced up at Yun Yanqiu's expression. She saw him straightening his wrinkle-free clothes, his face still flushed, and he said calmly, "It's good that you know." Ye Yingying's gaze fell on his waist—where a clean and warm jade was quietly adorned.
There's no mistake, that's Rakshasa Jade. Ye Yingying's eyes narrowed slightly, and she understood—her soul had fallen into the illusion of Mi Chen Mountain again, and this time, what trapped her was her own memories.
"Senior," she asked cautiously, "can I stay here?"
The person in front of her paused slightly as she adjusted her clothes: "...Did the fortune teller kick you out?" This was the excuse she used to stay in the Profound Realm in her previous life, but now she no longer needed to lie.
"I just want to stay by your side a little longer."
The overly direct words stunned Yun Yanqiu, the blush that had just faded returning to his cheeks: "Whatever you want." He stood up awkwardly, brushing non-existent dust off his clothes, "How long are you planning to stay?"
"If you don't mind, you can stay for a very long time..."
Rather than wandering aimlessly outside, it's better to remain forever immersed in this beautiful dream.
So Ye Yingying settled down at Xuanming Mountain again.
Life here was actually quite monotonous. Aside from meditation, Yun Yanqiu had nothing else to do each day, often spending most of the day in deep meditation. Ye Yingying didn't want to disturb his seclusion, so she found her own ways to pass the time, wandering the mountains and fields all day. Yun Yanqiu allowed her to explore most of the mountain area, except for the peak behind the courtyard. Ye Yingying had secretly observed that every few days, Yun Yanqiu would go there alone, staying for the entire day.
Previously, Ye Yingying didn't know what was up there and had tried to sneak in several times, only to be caught red-handed by Yun Yanqiu each time, followed by a scolding and being thrown into the sword formation to reflect on her actions. Now she understood that the place held the tombstones of Li Zhoubai and Qin Wenshuang. No matter how much time had passed, Yun Yanqiu's affection for them had never faded.
Today was another day for Yunyanqiu to go to the back mountain. Ye Yingying sat alone in the courtyard, bored and listless, staring blankly at the snowflakes falling all around.
The snow fell silently, but a faint sound reached her ears. Ye Yingying looked in the direction of the sound and saw a cultivator in a gray robe standing outside the courtyard. He bowed to her with a warm smile and said, "Greetings, young lady."
Ye Yingying narrowed her eyes, subtly examining the bulging brocade pouch at his waist, and then noticed his seemingly natural yet frequent glances toward the house.
"I had no intention of disturbing your peaceful cultivation, Miss. I just happened to be passing by and wished to ask you for a bowl of water." The man spoke respectfully and acted humbly, and seemed to have no problem. Unfortunately, he ran into Ye Yingying.
"If you know what's good for you, get lost. There's nothing here you can take with you," Ye Yingying said bluntly.
"You little brat, you've got quite the nerve." Having his thoughts so bluntly exposed, the man couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. But he had gone to great lengths to find the entrance and sneak in, so he certainly wasn't going to leave empty-handed.
Ye Yingying clearly saw through his intentions. Seeing that her warnings were useless, she didn't bother with further maneuvering. She simply flicked her finger, and a ball of azure true fire suddenly rushed towards him. The cultivator hastily drew his hidden weapon to block, but his expression changed drastically the moment he saw the azure flames rushing towards him. The hidden weapon clattered into the snow. He turned and ran, but after only a few steps, everything went black, and he tumbled into the sword formation in the forest.
Ye Yingying sighed softly and got up to clean up the hidden weapons on the ground. She remembered this scene clearly—he had used the pretense of asking for water to trick her into revealing information, attempting to steal some treasures from this place. She saw through his intentions, played him for a while, lured him into the sword formation, and finally let him be trapped and die within it.
When Yun Yanqiu found out about this, she questioned her about why she did it, and she replied casually, "It's fun, isn't it? Didn't you do the same thing to me back then?"
Yun Yanqiu was speechless for a moment, and then, because of this, he did not speak to Ye Yingying for a full half month.
Ye Yingying didn't understand before why he was so angry over the death of a petty thief. Although she felt wronged, she forced a smile and went to apologize to Yun Yanqiu in order to get the Rakshasa Jade.
"Do you still want the jade?" Yun Yanqiu asked her at the time, and Ye Yingying nodded hurriedly, but then heard the other party suddenly reply, "Then don't laugh like that anymore."
When Ye Yingying first heard this, she thought this guy was really hard to please, always saying nonsensical things to ruin her mood! But now those annoying words gradually became clear—it turned out that Yun Yanqiu had already seen through her confusion hidden beneath the teasing, and knew about the unease she was concealing.
Just like now, she finally understood that the anger she had suppressed all those years ago stemmed from her shame at being discovered by Yun Yanqiu.
The icicle snapped with a "crack." Ye Yingying snapped out of her daze and realized with a start that her fingertip had been cut and was bleeding.
"What's going on?" Yun Yanqiu's voice came from the courtyard gate. She looked up and saw that his shoulders were covered with fresh snow, and his brows were furrowed with worry.
He strode forward and grasped Ye Yingying's fingertips: "The hidden weapon is sharp, how dare you touch it with your bare hands?"
"It's okay, I..." She habitually raised her smile, but suddenly fell silent when she met the other person's serious gaze, instantly shrinking her neck like a child who had done something wrong.
She honestly explained the reason for her injury, expecting Yun Yanqiu to question and blame her again.
Unexpectedly, after hearing this, the guy completely ignored the little thief's life or death, and only took her inside to treat her wounds.
"Don't do this again next time. Even if that person poses no threat to you, you can't be so careless." He lowered his eyes to bandage her wound, his fingertips moving as gently as if handling fragile glass.
The wind and snow outside the window had not yet stopped, and the fine snowflakes tapped softly against the windowpane. A soft fragrance mixed with the scent of herbs filled the air, making his admonitory voice sound even gentler: "Even if that person poses no threat to you, you must not be so careless."
Ye Yingying obediently let him do as he pleased, her gaze lingering on his features. The dim light filtering through the wooden window wove delicate golden shadows between his eyelashes, and when his dark, jade-like eyes lowered, the tips of his trembling eyelashes could be seen. When he looked up to check his injuries, the concern in his eyes almost materialized—a kind of panic hidden beneath his composure, like a warm current surging beneath the ice of early spring.
Ye Yingying suddenly blinked, realizing the deeper meaning hidden in this tension—that he already cared about her so much back then.
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