Ye Yingying (6)
The fortune teller suddenly fell silent, his astonishment rippling across his eyes like waves on water. Ye Yingying met his trembling gaze, her voice clearer than ever before: "When I was by your side, I thought so too. But Yun Yanqiu made me realize that dependence is not weakness, and entanglement is not a burden." The blue flame at her fingertips flickered, reflecting a trace of melancholy between her brows, "To make choices for him without his consent, to shut him out, that is the real harm."
She gazed intently into the Ghost Calculator's cloudy eyes: "You too, never telling me about being possessed by a demon. Your initial desire to retrieve the Rakshasa Jade was actually to suppress the demonic energy, wasn't it? But by the time I arrived, the inner demon had already taken control of your consciousness..."
His cloudy pupils dilated slightly, and in the reflected blue flames, a fleeting image of the past appeared: a little girl, waist-high, running towards him joyfully, refusing to leave no matter how coldly he shrugged her off. But he had always been indifferent to her, and even now, facing her, he was unwilling to reveal the slightest emotion.
Ye Yingying lowered her eyes and said earnestly, "If you had told me sooner, maybe I could have helped you find another way?"
The azure flames on the lotus platform suddenly dimmed, and the flamboyant tongues of fire slumped gently. The entire refining room fell into an eerie silence; even the suspended debris slowed its descent, dissipating like ashes into her robes, like a sigh that could not be uttered.
After a long silence, the cunning strategist finally parted his dry lips and said, "It's too late. Let's make our move."
Ye Yingying chuckled helplessly, and the flames in her palm suddenly intensified. The azure flames surged like a tidal wave, engulfing everything in the weapon-refining room. The high-hanging bronze bell emitted its final whistle, and the hunched figure of the Ghost Calculator was enveloped in flames, the azure flames wrapping around his decaying body like a veil. His outline gradually blurred in the waves of flame, almost merging with the azure flames.
Suddenly, the withered fingers twitched, slowly rising towards Ye Yingying. The surging flames paused, then a hoarse call pierced through the flames: "Ask Sister Shuang..."
"She's long gone." Ye Yingying walked through the fire, her brows furrowed with sorrow as bright as moonlight. "You should rest too..."
Those murky eyes cleared in an instant, finally revealing the face behind the curtain of fire. He smiled self-deprecatingly, a hint of relief finally appearing on his face, now devoid of demonic energy. The instant the flames climbed to his brow, his lips moved silently.
As her last wisp of soul dissipated, Ye Yingying looked at the mess on the ground, her gaze finally settling on the cauldron. Once upon a time, this was the most captivating thing in the weapon-refining room; the Ghost Calculator could always forge amazing creations from its furnace. She had thought she would inherit his mantle and manage Mi Chen Mountain meticulously after his departure—but he seemed to have never cared about passing on his legacy.
Ye Yingying lifted the furnace lid and bent down to look inside—she had imagined countless possibilities, but all that remained in the furnace was ashes. It was impossible not to be disappointed, but it was also somewhat expected. Just as she was about to look away, a glimmer of light suddenly appeared.
It was a crystalline fragment, as pure as fresh snow. Ye Yingying reached out and picked up the fragment. The moment her fingertips touched it, a vision rushed towards her: the young Ghost Calculator kneeling in a dark room, a broken whip in his arms. He neither roared nor shed tears, but silently gripped the whip, letting the sharp thorns on the blade embed themselves into his flesh, drawing blood.
Ye Yingying was stunned. She instinctively wanted to investigate further, but the fragment suddenly shattered. The ground beneath her feet collapsed with a deafening roar, the broken stone bricks turning into black dust, swept into the void by an invisible wind. The ceiling of the weapon-refining room also vanished, replaced by a chaotic vortex. Ye Yingying stumbled, her body becoming uncontrollable, plummeting rapidly.
The illusion was collapsing, and Ye Yingying panicked, struggling to move her limbs but to no avail. Darkness enveloped her, and the azure flames within were gradually extinguished.
Ye Yingying felt her consciousness growing increasingly heavy, the darkness like a raging torrent, relentlessly engulfing all her reason. Just as she was about to plunge back into chaos, a familiar scent of cedar suddenly pierced through the void—
"ah!"
She opened her eyes abruptly, only to find Yun Yanqiu's face inches away. His eyes were tinged with pale blue, and a fine stubble appeared on his chin. His usually cool eyes were now filled with a faint smile as he stared at her intently. Dewdrops clung to his forehead, reflecting shimmering light in the sunlight.
Ye Yingying blinked blankly; this reunion after surviving such a calamity was far too mundane. She had expected to see Yun Yanqiu even more panicked than he had been in Yuancheng, and then he would embrace her tightly without a word. But now, although he looked haggard, he was unusually calm when he discovered she had woken up, which made her feel inexplicably disappointed.
"What's wrong?" He asked with a gentle smile.
"It's nothing." She belatedly realized that she was resting her head on his lap, and slowly sat up to stretch her stiff limbs. "I thought you would be very worried about me..." The little thought in her mind finally slipped out. She turned her face away and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, but heard Yun Yanqiu chuckle softly, his voice deep and pleasant: "Didn't you say that you would definitely come back to find me?"
She froze, stunned—the promise made after their passionate encounter in the illusion resurfaced in her mind, and her cheeks instantly burned: "You...you...how did you know?! You're not..."
"What do you mean? Could it be that you've made such an agreement with someone else?" Yun Yanqiu raised an eyebrow, feigning scrutiny.
"No, absolutely not." She shook her head hurriedly, trying to shrink back, but was pressed down by a hand. His serious gaze made her feel guilty, afraid that he would delve into the details.
No, why am I panicking? I haven't been having an affair! She suddenly snapped out of it, pouted, straightened her back, and prepared to answer the question with confidence, but then heard Yun Yanqiu ask calmly, "Is it all over?"
"Huh? Hmm..." Ye Yingying was confused, then nodded blankly.
"That's good." Yun Yanqiu lowered his eyes slightly and raised his hand to smooth the stray hairs at her temples. "I destroyed the magic array and the Soul-Suppressing Pearl outside, but the illusion didn't disappear. However, it didn't welcome me either, so in the end, you still had to deal with the Ghost Calculator alone." He said, smiling with relief, "Fortunately, you did it. You really kept your word this time."
His smile was gentle, causing Ye Yingying's cheeks, which had just cooled down, to flush again. She pondered his words, then suddenly realized something was amiss: "You entered the illusion too? When?"
"secret."
"What's wrong with saying this?"
"Someone seems to be really enjoying being inside. How could I possibly ruin your sweet dream?"
Good grief, she'd been seen through. Ye Yingying awkwardly looked away, her ears burning red.
Yun Yanqiu stood up with satisfaction, brushed off the dust, and extended his hand to her: "Let's go."
Where to?
"Back to Xuanming Mountain," he answered decisively. "You haven't forgotten, have you?"
"How could that be!" She quickly grabbed his hand back, and as soon as she stood up, she collapsed into his arms. "...I feel like I can't walk anymore."
As soon as she finished speaking, her body was suddenly lifted into the air. After a moment of weightlessness, she was steadily held in Yun Yanqiu's arms. Ye Yingying instinctively wrapped her arms around his shoulders, tilting her head slightly to rest her head in the crook of his neck, her nose filled with the crisp scent of cedar. Yun Yanqiu carried her steadily down the mountain, feeling no bumps despite the rugged mountain path.
A strange silence fell between them, broken only by the rustling of leaves in the woods. This silence was more unsettling than usual. Ye Yingying, unaccustomed to it, couldn't help but break the silence: "I asked Ghost Calculator... about your master's wife."
"Hmm?" he responded softly. "What did he say?"
“He said… Senior Qin died by self-destructing his primordial spirit in order to kill Lu Jiuzhong.” She cautiously raised her eyes, only to see that his expression was calm, and the ripples on his face were not as intense as when he first saw her wake up.
"You knew all along?"
Yun Yanqiu nodded slightly: "When Wu Yue told me that your soul was still in the mortal world, I wondered if my master and mistress were in the same situation." As he spoke, his pace slowed slightly, "But she said it was impossible, saying that her mother had told her when she was alive that my mistress had self-destructed her primordial spirit and her soul had been scattered, and that my master's soul had long been devoured by his inner demons..."
"Wu Yue's mother?" Ye Yingying pondered for a moment, then suddenly remembered something. "Is it Wu Shao?"
“Yes, she is the foremost shaman in the Valley of Witches, and also an old acquaintance of my master.” Yun Yanqiu’s voice was as calm as a deep pool. “Back then, she was willing to come and help because of a promise she made to my master—to protect Wu Yue, who was not yet one year old at the time, so that she could grow up safely in the valley.”
"It has to be your master?"
“Yes, the Valley of Witches was extremely xenophobic back then. Wu Yue was born to Wu Shao and someone from outside the valley. According to the rules of their valley, she should have been buried in the ground and suffocated.” He spoke in a calm tone as if he were talking about something ordinary. “Moreover, she was born with a special constitution and could only survive with the herbs in the valley.”
"But how could your master break such an inviolable rule?"
“It’s not difficult, just beat them all into submission.” Yun Yanqiu’s lips curled up slightly. “No matter how strict the rules are, they are ultimately no match for life. The Valley of Witches is isolated from information, and after this incident, they will never dare to provoke that mother and daughter again.” He paused, then continued, “This is what Wu Yue told me.”
"..." Ye Yingying finally understood where Wu Yue's arrogant and fearless attitude came from; it turned out that she had the Sword Master protecting her.
As he pondered, Yun Yanqiu suddenly changed the subject: "I've seen the array set up by the Ghost Calculator. That Soul-Summoning Banner took countless efforts to summon my master's soul." His voice grew deeper, "But the one who self-destructs their primordial spirit has already been annihilated, so even the most powerful methods would be futile..."
"So he made two preparations: even if the summoning of the spirit failed, he could still bring his master's wife back through an illusion..."
That was just a phantom in other people's eyes, not even worthy of being called alive... Ye Yingying silently swallowed her words. She knew this, so the Ghost Calculator couldn't possibly not understand. It was just that his soul was broken and his lifespan was coming to an end, so he chose to take a desperate gamble.
Life span...
Thinking of this, Ye Yingying unconsciously tightened her arms and rubbed her cheek against Yun Yanqiu's neck.
"Hmm?" He looked down at me.
"It's nothing, let's hurry back to Xuanming Mountain." Ye Yingying looked up and said seriously, "I need to seize the time to cultivate."
"...Just cultivation? Aren't you going to do anything else?" Yun Yanqiu's tone suddenly took on a deeper meaning.
"Is there anything else you want to do?" Ye Yingying blinked. Indeed, Yun Yanqiu had sacrificed so much for her; now that things had settled, it was only right that she reciprocate.
She looked into his deep eyes and solemnly vowed, "Whatever you want to do, I'll be there for you."
Yun Yanqiu paused slightly, his eyes fixed on Ye Yingying's face: "Is this true?"
“Absolutely true, heaven and earth can bear witness.” Ye Yingying nodded with great certainty.
Upon receiving the reply, he suddenly smiled, his joy as gentle as a spring breeze melting away the snow. Yun Yanqiu leaned down, touching her forehead, his warm breath brushing against her flushed ear: "This time... you can't go back on your word again."
"No regrets." Ye Yingying's eyes softened, and she tilted her head back, gently pressing her lips to his. "Never regrets."
-The End-
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