This is a fatal divination.
The cold moonlight pierced through the intertwined branches, casting dappled patterns of light on the forest clearing covered with fallen leaves.
A golden light flashed, and Yun Qian's figure silently appeared. Her face was still pale, and her aura was restrained. Only the jet-black short sword, shrunk to the size of a hairpin, actively circled around her, its incessant thoughts directly entering her mind:
Why did you kiss him?
"Speak! Yun Qian!"
Ever since separating from Baichuan and the others, Xiaohei has been jumping out of his hair, persistently asking about the meaning of that kiss.
Yun Qian had given many answers: doing as she pleased, on a whim, lust for beauty, just a fleeting glance... But Xiao Hei was clearly not satisfied. It stubbornly lingered around her, its sword trembling slightly, as if it would not give up until it uncovered the truth.
Yun Qian's steps suddenly stopped.
She turned to the restless black sword, a hint of helplessness flashing in her eyes before settling into calm: "I love him. So I kissed him."
This straightforward answer caused Little Black to freeze abruptly, its sword hovering in mid-air, its spiritual light dimming slightly. After a long while, its thoughts returned, muffled: "You like him... then could you... not die?"
Yun Qian's eyes flickered slightly, then she gave a faint smile. She reached out and precisely grasped the short, inch-long blade of Xiao Hei's sword, feeling the cool metallic touch on her fingertips. "I also want to live," she said softly, her voice carried on the night breeze, "but right now, it seems there's no better choice."
"Why not discuss it with Qin Wu and the others? If they can't do anything either, isn't there still Lin Huaiyu?" Xiao Hei asked, puzzled and anxious.
Yun Qian shook her head, her tone carrying a sense of relief after everything had settled: "It's still early. Besides, I might not even die."
"You won't break the symbiotic bond with Zhihua unless you die!" Xiao Hei's will suddenly surged. "Yun Qian, I know you best! I know what you're thinking! You like Lin Huaiyu, you kissed him, so could... could you think of another way for him?"
"You can't shirk responsibility for your inappropriate behavior towards him."
Yun Qian's mind conjured up Lin Huaiyu's beautiful face. Such a beauty, it would be a real loss if she couldn't even flirt with her before she died... But that beauty seemed stubborn and difficult to deal with. If she really died, would he resent her for her irresponsible flirting?
She didn't know the answer. But she had asked him, whether he wanted the "present" or the "future." Since he answered "both," her last bit of hesitation vanished.
He seemed to love her so much. If she really died, without ever receiving a kiss or a hug, he would probably... be very sad.
Besides, we haven't reached the point of desperation yet, have we?
"I'm not... dead yet, am I?" Yun Qian smiled again, a nonchalant smile trying to dispel the heavy atmosphere. She released Xiao Hei's sword and flicked it lightly. "If I really die, you can find a new master and have him give you a catchy name, how about that?"
Xiao Hei fell silent, the sword's spiritual light receded, and it no longer transmitted any thoughts, simply following her silently and stubbornly.
Yun Qian continued walking through the dark forest.
This is the territory of the Demon Realm, and Bai Ji is located here.
She had always known Bai Ji's whereabouts; the original book described it clearly, explaining his experiences and whereabouts after he became possessed by a demon. It wasn't that she didn't want to secretly visit him, but Qin Wu and Bai Chuan were watching her too closely, and if she disappeared without reason, it would definitely arouse suspicion. Moreover, she worried that her sudden appearance would, like the flapping of a butterfly's wings, change some predetermined trajectory, and backfire.
But today, she had to come.
For a century, the protective spiritual array that belonged to Bai Ji had never been activated. Therefore, when Yun Qian's clear voice suddenly came from the depths of the inner palace, Bai Ji, who was holding a cup of dark tea, almost choked and passed out.
He coughed violently for a while, spilling tea all over himself. Sitting blankly on the cold stone chair, his mind was in chaos, and he didn't know how or how to face his senior sister whom he hadn't seen for a hundred years.
Bai Ji hesitated and delayed...
Then Yun Qian's voice rang out again from the inner palace, carrying an unquestionable command: "Bai Ji, you have three numbers to go. Come out."
The dark shadow on the stone chair blurred and then disappeared in an instant, like a startled night owl.
In the center of a clearing in the woods, Yun Qian stood quietly.
Her white dress stood out in the dim light, making her figure appear even thinner and her face pale to the point of being almost transparent.
The surrounding demonic energy began to fluctuate and converge restlessly, eventually condensing into a slender human figure shrouded in a wide black hood.
Bai Ji's voice came through the hood, deliberately low and cold: "Why have you trespassed on my demon territory?"
"Why are you seeking my true self..."
Before he could finish speaking, Yun Qian stepped forward and slapped him hard on the back of the head!
This blow was utterly merciless, with tremendous force. Bai Ji's vision went black from the impact, and he let out a howl, clutching his head as he crouched down. The chilling aura he had projected as a demon elder vanished instantly.
"Why did you hit me!" he complained, feeling wronged.
"Can't you speak properly?" Yun Qian squatted down next to him, reached out, and naturally took off the cumbersome black hood.
The hood fell down, revealing Bai Ji's complete face. A century had passed, yet his face remained unchanged, bearing no trace of hardship; he looked exactly as remembered.
Yun Qian looked at it carefully and thought, "Hmm, she hasn't lost weight, that's good."
Bai Ji, still holding his head, answered in a muffled voice, "Yes..."
Yun Qian looked down at his angry but speechless expression and raised an eyebrow: "What did you call me?"
"Senior... Senior Sister." Bai Ji hesitated, finally uttering the title that had lingered in his heart for a hundred years but which he had only dared to call out in his dreams. The moment the words fell, his eyes uncontrollably welled up and quickly turned red.
"They're all demon elders who call themselves 'the Venerable Ones' now," Yun Qian chuckled lightly, her tone slightly teasing. "Won't they be so pathetic as to cry?"
"Who's crying!" Bai Ji retorted, trying to save face. "Do you think I'm like Bai Chuan?"
"Baichuan and Qin Wu both miss you very much." Yun Qian sat down on the spot, her gaze falling gently on her junior brother whom she hadn't seen for a hundred years, and added, "I... miss you very much too."
Bai Ji's body stiffened slightly, his arms around his knees tightened, and his voice lowered: "He... doesn't blame me?" He always remembered that night a hundred years ago when he left Cangmin Mountain, he injured Bai Chuan, which caused him to remain sickly to this day.
"Isn't this the trajectory of our... destiny?" Yun Qian's voice was soft, carrying a sense of detachment from worldly affairs. "That day, you also held back your strength, otherwise Bai Chuan would probably have been injured much more than this."
Bai Ji blinked, trying hard to force back the tears welling up in her eyes.
Of Bai Yan's four disciples, only Bai Ji inherited the art of divination and fate-telling. Isn't this also a kind of destiny? Master has performed so many divinations on Cangmin Mountain, how could he not know the predetermined future of each disciple?
"Alright, stop thinking about that." Yun Qian took out a few ancient copper coins from her bosom and carefully arranged them on the open space between the two of them, according to the pattern she remembered. "I came to you because I wanted you to help me with this divination."
Bai Ji composed himself, his gaze falling on the unusual hexagram formed by copper coins, his brows furrowing slightly: "For whom is this hexagram being cast?"
"Lin Huaiyu." Yun Qian blinked and lied calmly.
Bai Ji stared at the divination for a long time, his fingertips unconsciously calculating, his expression growing increasingly solemn. After a long while, he raised his head and said, "This is a fatal divination."
"Oh," Yun Qian responded, her face showing no surprise whatsoever, still bearing that gentle, faint smile as if nothing had happened. She reached out and collected the copper coins from the ground one by one.
She saw this divination chart by Bai Yan's bedside when she woke up after her tribulation. She guessed that her master had cast the divination for her.
At this moment, upon hearing Bai Ji utter the words "Deathly Divination" in person, the last trace of uncertainty in Yun Qian's heart completely vanished.
This was her destiny.
She had already foreseen the fate of everyone around her through the original book. Now, she finally saw her own fate clearly as well.
The fear or sadness she had anticipated did not come; instead, a sense of relief and calm swept over her. The heavy burden seemed to lighten instantly.
She can save Cangmin Mountain.
It can save her junior brothers.
That's...good.
However, in a corner of my heart, a subtle, indescribable regret still rises.
She just felt a little guilty towards that beauty who had just been taken advantage of by her.
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