Chapter 57 “Stay here for me for one day,” Yun Zhi said.
"Yu Qingzhou?"
"Yes, that's the young Taoist priest's name. Isn't it lovely? This is the first time I've heard of someone with the surname Yu. And the name Qingzhou is also wonderful. He truly lives up to his name. If you, Azhi, were to meet the young Taoist priest, you would definitely—"
As Yun Yao spoke, she couldn't help but get a little carried away, and by the time she realized what she had done wrong, the words were already out of her mouth.
Yun Yao covered her mouth, looking at Yun Zhi with a guilty expression, and apologized softly, "I'm sorry, Zhi, I... I completely forgot that you're not allowed to go out..."
Seeing the girl, who was all smiles just a moment ago, suddenly fall into a slump, and knowing it was all because of him, Yun Zhi felt a rare pang of pity.
Yun Zhi reached out and touched Yun Yao, a faint smile appearing on her usually expressionless face.
"It's alright, I'm not interested in that little Taoist priest anyway."
However, seeing Yun Zhi's indifferent appearance, Yun Yao became even more upset. She felt that her younger brother was only pretending to be indifferent to comfort her.
Put yourself in their shoes. Imagine if you were locked up in such a dark and gloomy place from morning till night, with no blue sky and white clouds, no green grass and streams, and hardly any sunlight could even get in.
Such a dull and monotonous life, let alone for more than ten years, even if she were locked up like this for a year or a month, she would probably go crazy.
However, Yun Zhi had already been here for more than ten years.
And who knows when that will take...
"Actually, you get used to many things, and I'm not completely without anything. At least you'll come, right?" Yun Zhi said calmly, half to comfort Yun Yao and half to state the facts.
Upon hearing this, a hint of guilt flashed in Yun Yao's eyes: "But—"
She bit her lip, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.
"But what?" Yun Zhi asked.
"It's nothing." Yun Yao ultimately didn't voice her inner thoughts, while avoiding Yun Zhi's questioning gaze.
She felt that Yun Zhi's eyes, which could see through the darkness, would surely be able to see through the secrets she harbored in her heart at a glance.
And that was indeed the case. Yun Zhi guessed what Yun Yao was thinking at that moment, but he did not expose her.
In the days that followed, their interactions seemed to remain the same as before. Yet, something seemed different.
Yun Yao was fascinated by telling Yun Zhi everything about Yu Qingzhou—his appearance, his clothes, his unique way of speaking. Then one day, Yun Yao seemed to casually bring up a long-forgotten legend about the clan's secret treasure.
"Ah Zhi, do you really not know where that secret treasure is?"
When old matters are brought up again, the more someone with ulterior motives tries to appear nonchalant, the more flaws and loopholes they reveal.
Yun Zhi watched all of this in silence.
Upon seeing this, Yun Yao suddenly became excited. She grabbed the boy's shoulders and knelt down in front of him with hopeful eyes: "Good Zhi, you're not saying anything, but that means you actually know, right?"
Yun Zhi was silent for a moment, then spoke again, but asked the girl a question: "Did he personally promise you that he would take you away with him once he got the things?"
Yun Yao's smile froze, and her hands, which had been gripping Yun Zhi's shoulders, loosened.
Having her thoughts so easily exposed, Yun Yao felt somewhat embarrassed and ashamed. She lowered her head, shifting her gaze elsewhere, and after a long while, she finally let out a soft, almost inaudible sound.
“He never said any of this. It was me. I wanted to help him myself. The young Taoist priest is a good person. He only wanted to borrow the secret treasure to seal the great demon who was causing chaos in the world. We have lived in seclusion here for generations, enjoying a peaceful and prosperous life by the mountains and rivers. But what about the people outside? They not only suffer from war and famine, but now they are also facing the poison of demons.”
"..."
“We live carefree lives, yet we turn a blind eye to the suffering of others and are indifferent to their life and death. This is too selfish. I... I don’t want to go on like this.”
Yun Yao became more and more emotional as she spoke, and at one point she even covered her face and cried.
Yun Zhi listened to the girl's innocent words without saying a word. When he saw Yun Yao crying and burying her face in her knees, he gently put his hand on the girl's shoulder.
His tone remained calm, so calm that it was almost unlike that of a teenager.
He asked Yun Yao, "Is this truly what you feel in your heart?"
Upon hearing this, Yun Yao's shoulders trembled slightly. The girl did not look up, but instead gave a muffled "hmm".
“Alright,” Yun Zhi said, “I will tell you where the treasure is, but you must agree to one condition.”
Upon hearing this, Yun Yao immediately raised her tear-streaked face and asked in a voice that was both expectant and uneasy, "What are the conditions?"
“Stay here for me for a day,” Yunzhi said.
Yun Yao seemed a little confused: "What do you mean by staying here for you for a day?"
"It means—"
Yun Zhi smiled, a radiant smile that Yun Yao had never seen on a young man's face before. It was so radiant that it seemed unreal, like the legendary epiphyllum that had been dormant for years, blooming only for a fleeting moment in the dead of night, so dreamlike that it was impossible to look away.
“You will stay here and guard the ancestral hall in my likeness for one day, and during that day I will go out in your likeness.”
"Will this... will this work?" Yun Yao was a little uneasy. If this were discovered, the two of them would probably face more than just a scolding.
"The treasure is right here, in this room. If you can find it within this day, you may take it and leave with your young Taoist priest. I will not stop you, nor will I inform the clan leader."
Yun Zhi smiled as he looked at the hesitant Yun Yao and continued to increase the stakes: "Didn't you want to be with your little Taoist priest forever, sister? If you don't even have that much courage, then you shouldn't even think about it..."
"I'm willing!"
Yun Yao suddenly said urgently, "Let's switch. Give me a day, and I'm sure I can do it!"
Upon hearing this, Yun Zhi gave Yun Yao a deep look: "Are you sure?"
"It's settled, no backing out."
Yun Yao said firmly, then added somewhat uneasily, "But the people here are my business. Won't it be easily discovered?"
No, it won't.
Yun Zhi gently shook her head: "I know what to do."
Even though Yun Yao was the firstborn, and had always liked to act like the older sister, she felt that the young man in front of her was particularly convincing.
Once she felt relieved, Yun Yao was once again lost in beautiful dreams about the future, completely unaware of the faint, moonlit coldness in the boy's eyes.
When the moon was high in the sky again, the girl who skipped and hopped into the dark room reappeared. Her face seemed to be the same, but her temperament had suddenly changed, becoming quiet and composed.
As the moon set and the sun rose, Yun Zhi, disguised as Yun Yao, gazed at the radiant scene, but felt no ripples in his heart as he had imagined.
It turns out that the beautiful scenery Yun Yao described was nothing special.
Yun Zhi thought calmly that no one had noticed the siblings had switched places throughout the day.
Firstly, Yunzhi was sent to the ancestral hall when he was very young, and he has hardly seen any outsiders over the years.
Secondly, Yun Zhi is unexpectedly good at imitation, and Yun Yao always likes to tell him about the people and things outside in great detail. Most of the people here are simple-minded and careless. If they feel something is wrong, they will only think that Yun Yao may be in a bad mood or has not slept well, and they will never think about replacing her.
Until Yun Zhi accidentally bumped into Yu Qingzhou.
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