Chapter 210 Su Yuyao decides to return to the Heavenly Palace
Nestled among the grass surrounding the Sishui Pool was a small courtyard, within which stood a simple thatched hut. Inside, Su Yuyao sat serenely on a wooden stool. Her hair was neatly styled in a bun, and she wore a pale yellow, wide-sleeved dress. Her hands were clasped in front of her, her eyes slightly closed, her expression composed.
A moment later, the sound of rustling footsteps came from the grass, approaching quickly and stopping hurriedly in front of the thatched hut.
Su Yuyao smiled slightly and said softly, "Brother Yue'er, you've come." After speaking, she slowly opened her eyes. Her clear and deep pupils had completely lost their childishness, replaced by an unusual calmness, even a frightening calmness.
Guan Yue wore a dark green, long-sleeved robe with a black hooded cape, the cape still stained with dust from the grass and trees he had picked up on his journey. He looked at Su Yuyao waiting in the house; although she wore no makeup and was completely unadorned, she was still dazzlingly beautiful!
Guan Yue unfastened his cloak, dusted himself off, and stepped inside, meeting Su Yuyao's gaze. He stood before her. He looked at Su Yuyao closely. Although she looked the same, her aura... she was no longer the same Su Yuyao!
"Su Yuyao, how have you been lately?" Guan Yue asked softly.
Su Yuyao smiled and nodded. "I'm fine. How about you?"
“I’m… fine too.” Guan Yue suddenly felt a pang of sadness, unsure whether it was for himself or for Su Yuyao in this state.
"Brother Yue'er, do you still want to come to the snow mountain?" Su Yuyao asked directly.
Guan Yue's heart skipped a beat, then he nodded without hesitation, "Yes!"
"Okay." Su Yuyao said with a smile, "Chengma Peak is now in your hands!"
Guan Yue was startled again and asked in disbelief, "You mean..."
“What I mean is, the Snow Mountain and the Snow Mountain Wolf Clan are all yours!” Su Yuyao said calmly.
Guan Yue stared wide-eyed at the unfamiliar Su Yuyao before him, and suddenly realized Su Yuyao's plan, "Could it be... you're going to the Heavenly Palace? Are you crazy?!"
Su Yuyao's smile paused for a moment, then she slowly stood up, walked around Guan Yue, stepped out of the thatched hut, stood in the middle of the courtyard, her eyes sparkling, looked up at the seemingly calm sky, and asked softly, "Brother Yue'er, do I have any other way now?"
Guan Yue's heart suddenly clenched, as if it were being tightly gripped in someone's hand, but his heart showed no sign of struggle, silently enduring the pain. His heart had never ached like this before, not even after those nightmares…
He followed Su Yuyao, his eyes never leaving her every move. She was still so petite, but he could no longer protect her!
"Brother Yue'er, my father will stay at Chengma Peak to assist you," Su Yuyao said softly. "Remember, no matter what news comes from the Heavenly Palace, you must guard the snow mountain for me."
Guan Yue looked at the blurry yellow blur and solemnly replied, "Yes..."
"And," Su Yuyao slowly turned around to look at the chest so close to hers, and asked in a low voice, "How... is he?"
Guan Yue was slightly stunned, and a tear fell onto his lapel.
Su Yuyao raised her eyelids to look at Guan Yue, whose eyes were brimming with tears, and asked with slight surprise, "Xuan Feng didn't punish him?!"
Guan Yue looked at Su Yuyao on his chest. She seemed familiar yet unattainable, but she was the one who touched his heart the most.
He gave a wry smile and shook his head.
"Xuanfeng wants you to..." Su Yuyao asked tentatively.
"I disagree," Guan Yue interrupted Su Yuyao's speculation, stating firmly, "because I'm going to follow you!"
Su Yuyao looked into Guan Yue's eyes with a puzzled expression. Why? Why is he so insistent on following me?
Suddenly! She saw it! In the dark cave, all the humiliation he had suffered… She saw Xuanfeng rescue him… She saw Granny Zhong healing his wounds… She saw him sit up… He could stand up… She saw Meng Yu follow his master to Jiujiao Mountain… She saw Meng Yu put his arm around his shoulder and say, “You must be Guan Yue! My name is Meng Yu! My master told me to come here to learn more, so I’ll stay with you for the time being!”… He trusted him, yet he was severely injured by him at the most inopportune moment… She also saw herself in his eyes… saw her own rudeness… saw her own growth… saw her own… body?… She felt his heartbeat… his desire… beyond the physical instincts of dependence…
She understood. She understood why he was so obsessed with cleanliness; he wasn't disgusted by others, but by himself. She also understood that his feelings for her had transcended the boundaries between men and women…
Guan Yue looked into Su Yuyao's flickering eyes and knew she knew everything. He looked away uneasily and asked shyly, "Now, do you still want to hand over Chengma Peak to me?"
Su Yuyao looked at Guan Yue, recalling her past life—Su Su. She had experienced something similar, except in that world, Xuan Feng hadn't saved her. But in this world, Xuan Feng had saved her…
Su Yuyao understood how difficult it was for Guan Yue to survive and how arduous it was for him to gradually overcome his predicament. She finally understood Guan Yue's desire to escape everything...
“Brother Yue’er,” Su Yuyao said with a smile, “I’m afraid you won’t be able to go back this time.”
Guan Yue looked at Su Yuyao with some confusion.
Su Yuyao smiled calmly and said slowly, "I have already spoken with Shadow, Rat Diviner, Sandstorm, and Ghost. From now on, you are the new leader of the Snow Mountain Wolf Clan!"
Guan Yue stared wide-eyed in disbelief. "Now?"
"Yes." Su Yuyao lowered her head, her eyes glistening with tears. "I'm going to the Heavenly Palace now."
Guan Yue's heart suddenly ached as if it were being crushed. His chest heaved violently. Looking at the fair and delicate face hanging in front of him, he felt an overwhelming surge of energy rushing to his head!
He suddenly grabbed Su Yuyao's shoulder, pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. Knowing he couldn't stop her, he still asked, "Su Yuyao, can you... not go?"
For the first time, Su Yuyao was being yearned for by such a longing emotion. She had never experienced being needed by anyone, not even Xuan Feng! She was so weak in Xuan Feng's love, so she enjoyed the care that was taken for granted. But in Guan Yue's world, she had become the one who needed to be cared for!
"Brother Yue'er," Su Yuyao said softly, "for the sake of my child, I need to go to the Heavenly Palace. This is my fate!"
Guan Yue's eyes suddenly blurred, and he said with a slight sob, "Su Yuyao... if... I mean if... if it weren't for Lord Xuanfeng... would you......"
"No!" Su Yuyao interrupted Guan Yue, "Because there will be Xuanfeng!"
“Su Yuyao…” Guan Yue tightened his arms, wanting to feel Su Yuyao melt in his embrace, struggle in his arms, half-heartedly resisting him. But there was nothing there; his heart felt empty with pain…
"Is it because of...those things?" Guan Yue carefully picked out the thorn buried deep in his heart.
Su Yuyao was startled and replied, "No."
"Is that because of... Meng Yu?" Guan Yue brought up another thorn.
“No,” Su Yuyao said calmly. “My choice of Xuanfeng has nothing to do with whether you are good or bad; it’s simply because I chose Xuanfeng.”
Guan Yue was stunned. For better or for worse, she wouldn't choose me... Despite all the reluctance, I had to let go.
He pulled Su Yuyao tighter with his arms, then lowered his head to sniff the top of her head. It still smelled like peaches, just as it hadn't changed at all!
He slowly loosened his grip and gently released Su Yuyao. He could no longer feel the heartache; he didn't know if he was numb from the pain or if it had simply stopped hurting...
"Did you drink the peach flavor I brought you?" Guan Yue asked after a brief silence.
"I drank it." Su Yuyao nodded slightly, then suddenly remembered Chi Yan's reaction to the peach flavor, so she casually asked, "Have you ever sent peach flavor to the palace?"
"I did send some to Lord Xuanfeng, but not many." Guan Yue asked with some confusion, "Why are you suddenly asking about this?"
"Oh, it's nothing." Su Yuyao pondered for a moment, then asked, "Besides Xuanfeng, would anyone else have a chance to obtain Peach Blossom Charm?"
"Probably not... Meng Yu only contacted Lord Xuanfeng when he entered the palace, unless Lord Xuanfeng gave Peach Flavor to someone else." Speaking of Meng Yu, Guan Yue was still a little uncomfortable, but he did not show it.
Looking at the restrained Guan Yue, Su Yuyao sighed inwardly, "Brother Yue'er, if you don't see harm as harm, it won't hurt you."
Guan Yue gave a helpless, bitter smile. "Hurting is hurting, how can I forget it?"
Su Yuyao looked up at Guan Yue's bitter eyes with her bright eyes, her lively gaze meeting his. "Don't forget, because you can't forget. We all have to go through countless things. Can you guarantee that everything will be beautiful?"
Guan Yue was stunned by Su Yuyao's feminine beauty and replied uncontrollably, "No."
"So, you must calmly accept everything, whether good or bad, it's all part of your experience." Su Yuyao pointed to her chest. "This is the scar from when I was assassinated; it represents my rebirth in the wolf clan!" Then she pointed to her heart. "This place holds so much of my pain, but it also represents my growth. Whatever you've experienced, whether happy or sad, just let it exist once! Once it's over, it's over. Besides adding another experience to your life, there's no point in reflecting on whether these things were right or wrong, good or bad."
Guan Yue stared at Su Yuyao in astonishment. Was this girl with an exceptionally strong core still the same crazy girl who stole fish? His broken heart seemed to have regained its shape. He looked at Su Yuyao, and although everything seemed to have changed, only one thing remained the same—she was still his hope, still his sun!
Su Yuyao looked at the stunned Guan Yue, smiled and said, "I was the crazy girl who caught fish back then, and now I'm the one giving you a lecture! People change, and everyone changes when forced to grow up!"
Guan Yue smiled, a genuine smile, a smile of relief. He raised his hand again and gently stroked Su Yuyao's temple...
"Mother!" A sharp, loud child's voice broke the unspoken ambiguity between Su Yuyao and Guan Yue.
The grass around the courtyard, taller than a person, swayed without wind. Suddenly, a small, round figure darted out from a dense patch of grass.
Xuanmiao was dressed in a peach-pink short skirt, with a grass-green short shirt over it, a ginger-yellow belt around her waist, and her hair was styled in two buns, with bright white tridacna beads covering her head.
Clutching a half-dead fish in her hand, she strode angrily into the yard, her belly bulging, and shouted, "Mother! There's fish! Uncle Bi Rong won't let me... Huh? What are you doing?"
Guan Yue's hand was still lingering near Su Yuyao's ear, and he looked at Xuan Miao awkwardly, smiling as he said, "This... is this Miao'er, right..."
“Miao’er, this is Uncle Yue’er…” Su Yuyao bent down and pulled Xuanmiao, who was frowning and glaring at Guan Yue, closer.
Guan Yue squatted down, looking with great interest at Xuanmiao, who had the exact same expression as Su Yuyao, and said softly, "Miao'er, my name is Guan Yue. I even held you when you were little!"
Xuanmiao frowned as she looked Guan Yue up and down, then glanced at Su Yuyao, tossing the fish in her hand, and said, "So? You can hug Mother now?"
"Huh?" Guan Yue scratched his nose, both surprised and embarrassed, and stood up. He looked at Su Yuyao. "No, right?"
Compared to Guan Yue's embarrassment, Su Yuyao simply smiled and asked, "Miao'er, where did the fish come from?"
Xuanmiao, who was initially hostile towards Guan Yue, immediately became aggrieved when Su Yuyao asked about the fish in her hand. She pouted and said, "Mother! There are fish in that Sishui Pond! I asked Uncle Bi Rong to catch some for me, but he wouldn't. I caught some myself, but he won't let me eat them!"
"Miao'er—my ancestor!" Just then, Bi Rong, looking terrified, rushed out of the bushes and ran towards the courtyard.
Following closely behind Bi Rong were Longjing, who was carrying a tree branch on his head, and Renshen, who was soaking wet.
As soon as Bi Rong stepped into the courtyard, he knelt down in front of Su Yuyao with a thud, "Miss Yao'er! This fish cannot be eaten!"
Su Yuyao glanced at Bi Rong, then at Long Jing and Ren Shen who had followed, and slowly asked, "What's going on?"
Longjing looked at Renshen, Renshen looked at Xuanmiao, Xuanmiao frowned and glared at Bi Rong, and with a little force, the fish in Xuanmiao's hand fainted with a "plop".
Bi Rong slumped to the ground in despair, wiped his face, and said, "Miss Yao'er, the Sishui Pool boiled over a few months ago! It was as if the entire pool was being heated! I wanted to pass the message on to Lord Xuanfeng, but Lord Langzhi ordered the entire snow mountain to be sealed off and kept silent! Even my message can't get out!"
Su Yuyao raised her eyes to look at Renshen, who avoided her gaze and looked at Longjing. Longjing looked at Bi Rong with an innocent expression.
Bi Rong wiped his sweat and continued, "The Sishui Pool churned for almost a month before it slowly calmed down. Later, moss grew in the pool, and then fish appeared! I don't know where these fish came from, so I dared not let Miao'er catch them, much less let her eat them!"
After listening, Xuanmiao looked down at the fish in her hand. Sticky scarlet blood was slowly seeping from between her fingers. Startled, she quickly threw the fish aside and obediently moved to Su Yuyao's skirt.
Su Yuyao looked at Xuanmiao with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, then turned cold and glanced at Renshen, "The fish you caught?"
Ren Shen bowed and replied, "Yes."
How deep?
"It's not deep. Besides fish, there are some aquatic plants, and the water is flowing."
There was moss, aquatic plants, fish, and flowing water... stagnant water that isn't dead, a passage that isn't blocked! Su Yuyao had her answer: it seems the Qi field on my body is a passage in the Sishui Pool!
"Bi Rong, you no longer need to guard Sishuitan."
"Oh...?" Bi Rong stood up in surprise and asked, "No need to look anymore?! Why?"
Su Yuyao smiled and picked up the dirty Xuanmiao, saying, "The Sishui Pool is now just an ordinary pool of water, so why bother looking after it? I heard that Lord Guan Xiao has decided to return to Jiujiao Mountain. If you want to go back with him, then go together. I'll go and give Xuanfeng a message for you!"
"Really?!" Bi Rong asked excitedly, "Now that I can leave, may I follow you?"
Su Yuyao smiled, bounced Xuanmiao in her arms, and glanced at Guan Yue beside her out of the corner of her eye without making a sound.
Xuanmiao followed Su Yuyao's gaze to Guan Yue, only to see Guan Yue's face dark and cold as he looked at Bi Rong, whose head seemed to be missing something, and said, "Bi Rong, I've decided to stay in the Snow Mountain. So, you either go back to Jiujiao Mountain with Father, or come with me to the Snow Mountain..."
"Ah!" Xuanmiao shouted, attracting everyone's attention.
Su Yuyao smiled and tapped Xuanmiao's cheek, "Miao'er, don't be rude!"
Xuanmiao tilted her apple-shaped face up and said in a childish voice, "I want Uncle Bi Rong to come with us!"
"Uncle Bi Rong isn't one of ours, we can't just take him away like that!" Su Yuyao said, turning to Guan Yue with Xuan Miao in her arms. She squinted and said, "Brother Yue'er, Miao'er is young and doesn't know proper manners, please don't take offense!"
"Uncle Yue'er!" Xuanmiao mimicked Su Yuyao's tone, tilting her head and asking earnestly, "Is it really not possible?"
Guan Yue's heart had already softened when he heard Su Yuyao and her younger sister calling him "Brother Yue'er" and "Uncle Yue'er," leaving him with no ability to refute.
“Young Master Guan Yue!” Bi Rong interrupted inappropriately, “This humble servant has already inquired, and Miss Yao’er only brought Rui Xue, Bai Er, and Aunt Hu with her when she returned to the Heavenly Palace this time! There is no one she can use! Moreover,” Bi Rong pointed to Long Jing and Ren Shen behind him, “these two people from the Heavenly Palace are also going back with her. Once they arrive at the Heavenly Palace, Miss Yao’er will be attacked from both sides!”
“Bi Rong!” Su Yuyao said seriously, “Ren Shen was sent by the Mother Goddess to protect Miao’er, so naturally he will prioritize Miao’er’s safety! Long Jing is a serious criminal now, and he dares to come back with me because he trusts me. How could he be ungrateful?”
"Oh, that's true!" Bi Rong clasped his hands in a fist salute and bowed, saying, "I was mistaken! Then... could you take me with you?"
Guan Yue was deeply distressed by the situation. He wanted another person to protect Su Yuyao and Xuanmiao, but Bi Rong was not a suitable candidate.
Su Yuyao noticed Guan Yue's worry and said, "Bi Rong, you're wrong about some things, but there's one thing you're right about. That is, when I returned to the Heavenly Palace, I was indeed surrounded by enemies on all sides! So those who followed me have made thorough preparations! Do you understand the implications?"
"This humble servant understands!" Bi Rong knelt down solemnly and bowed deeply. "This humble servant was originally a lowly life, only thinking of making a living by Lord Xuanfeng's side! It was thanks to Miss Yao'er's guidance that I have acquired my current skills. This humble servant is willing to go through fire and water for Miss Yao'er, even if it means giving up all my cultivation and destroying my physical body!"
"You blockhead!" Su Yuyao shouted, "I've given you so much advice, why won't you listen?!"
Guan Yue looked at Su Yuyao with a sense of relief as she used the same old tricks without any hesitation. Su Yuyao, do you really think I can't see through your little schemes?
Su Yuyao suddenly laughed and looked back at Guan Yue.
Guan Yue smiled indulgently and finally relented, "Bi Rong, you can go with her! Remember what you just said!"
"Yes!" Bi Rong kowtowed happily...
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