After I Lost My Memory, I Was Coaxed into Marriage by a Yandere - Chapter 21.2

Jiang Yi retracted her palm and retreated quickly, then swung her right leg in a sweep toward Chi Wei’s waist. Xiao Yanyi, however, seemed to anticipate the enemy’s move. She opened her arms and pulled Chi Wei into her embrace, narrowly avoiding the attack.

Chi Wei immediately shouted, “Ha! Housekeeper Jiang, so you are an accomplice to that demon! Captain Cha, take note. I have found the culprit for you; whether you can catch her is up to you.”

With that, she threw the saber back to Cha Shiyu. Cha Shiyu caught it and charged forward. She realized that the housekeeper, who had just been arguing with them, was now clearly protecting a rabbit demon she had never supposedly met. Something was definitely wrong.

Chi Wei stood steady against Xiao Yanyi’s shoulder. She received a cold glare from her, but responded with a cheeky grin. “Thank you, A-Yan, for saving my life. I have nothing to repay you with, so I am willing to offer myself in marriage.”

Xiao Yanyi gave a low snort. “You truly dared to strike.”

“I have A-Yan here, after all. I believe you must have seen that something was wrong with Jiang Yi long ago.” Receiving another cold glare, Chi Wei sensibly stopped joking, coughed twice, hid behind her, and turned her gaze back to the fight.

Jiang Yi’s strikes were vicious, every move aimed at Cha Shiyu’s throat. But Cha Shiyu was no amateur; her sword techniques were a dazzling, impenetrable whirlwind. The two fought back and forth, and for a while, no winner could be determined.

Fearing they might be accidentally injured, Chi Wei pulled Xiao Yanyi and Xiao Tan back a few steps.

While Xiao Tan clapped and cheered at the show, she did not forget to look up and ask Chi Wei, “How did you tell that the housekeeper was wrong?”

Xiao Yanyi also looked at her, her eyes full of inquiry. Chi Wei gave a shy smile. “I did not know for sure; I just felt there was a problem and that it was related to the item the Xuandu Department was escorting. Luckily, it was a living thing, so I could pretend to take its life to scare Jiang Yi out. If it were an inanimate object, I would have been out of luck.”

“Then how did you know it was Jiang Yi?” Xiao Yanyi looked at her steadily, trying to find a flaw in her expression.

“Of course I did not know, but I guessed that whoever caused such a mess would not be able to resist watching the fun at the scene.”

Xiao Tan never held back on praise. “Smart! If not for you today, it would have been a mess.”

Chi Wei smiled bashfully and stole a glance at Xiao Yanyi, her face clearly saying: “See, A-Yan? I can actually help out; I just did not have the chance before.”

How could Xiao Yanyi not guess her thoughts? Seeing her looking for a reward, her previous irritation vanished. She tilted her eyebrow, and her hand under her sleeve squeezed Chi Wei’s palm gently.

“You did well. Xiao Chi is indeed impressive.”

While the three of them chatted and watched the show, the situation on the field grew intense.

Chi Wei gave a low cry as she saw Jiang Yi kicked in the chest by Cha Shiyu. In mid-air, Jiang Yi’s form suddenly changed, transforming into a black python with shimmering scales, coiling back toward Cha Shiyu’s head!

“So the housekeeper is a demon too!”

Xiao Yanyi nodded slightly. “Indeed. She is with that rabbit demon.”

Chi Wei looked at the black python’s scales glinting in the sunlight and suddenly thought of Xiao Yanyi’s jade-like, pinkish-white snake tail. Although they were both snakes, Xiao Yanyi’s form was much cuter.

The moment this thought arose, the person beside her seemed to sense it. Xiao Yanyi looked over, and the moment their eyes met, the memories of the tangled and embarrassed moments in the bed at noon flooded back. Both of them turned away simultaneously, their ears warming, and hurriedly returned their gaze to the fight.

Cha Shiyu lived up to her reputation in the Xuandu Department. Her moves were clean and decisive, her strikes accurate and fierce. The snake demon appeared to have been injured already, and as the bitter battle continued, she grew weaker. Before long, Cha Shiyu gained the upper hand, beat her back to her original form, and collected her into a cage as a small snake.

Xiao Tan, witnessing the snake demon being pierced by Cha Shiyu’s sword, felt a pang of sympathy as a fellow demon. She turned her face away from the bloody scene and whispered to Chi Wei, “They say the Xuandu Department specializes in handling demons who commit crimes. I suppose that snake and rabbit did many bad things to end up like this.”

“I suppose so.” Chi Wei noted the cold methods the Xuandu people used on demons and quietly pulled Xiao Tan behind her.

Having subdued the snake demon, Cha Shiyu carried the cage to Chi Wei. The black snake inside had shrunk to the thickness of a finger. Through the gaps, Chi Wei could see the snake flicking its tongue at her, as if warning her that she should not have meddled.

The bamboo cage rattled from the snake’s movement. Cha Shiyu did not want a child to see too much blood, so she turned and handed the cage to a subordinate. Then she cupped her fists to Chi Wei. “Regarding today’s matter, thank you for your help, Miss. If not for your decisiveness, I am afraid this would not have ended so smoothly.”

Chi Wei nodded and pulled the two demons beside her, wanting to leave this place of trouble.

“Wait, Miss. May I ask your name?” Looking at Chi Wei’s departing back, Cha Shiyu hesitated for a moment before chasing after her.

Before Chi Wei could answer, Xiao Yanyi answered for her.

“Chi Wei, my wife.”

A sudden coldness appeared in Xiao Yanyi’s eyes. Her fingertip touched Chi Wei’s hand unnoticed, signaling her to take Xiao Tan and leave first.

“What is the meaning of this, Captain Cha?”

Seeing the two of them retreat, Cha Shiyu did not chase further. She hurriedly explained with cupped fists, “Family Head Xiao, please do not misunderstand. It is just that one of my superiors lost a younger sister when they were young. Her given name was Chi Wei, and if she were alive, she would be twenty-one this year. Seeing Miss Chi’s appearance and aura just now, she looks seventy percent like that superior. I asked on impulse, wondering if there was a connection between the two.”

Xiao Yanyi’s body suddenly froze. After a long pause, she hurriedly dropped a sentence: “It is absolutely impossible. Chi Wei is definitely not your superior’s sister.” Before her voice had even faded, she had already turned and left.

Cha Shiyu did not expect Xiao Yanyi to be so resistant to the idea, but because of that reaction, she became even more certain that Chi Wei’s identity was special.

It was not unheard of for people to look alike, but to look so similar was rare, not to mention that her superior actually had a missing sister. It was far too coincidental.

“It must be the will of Heaven!” she muttered to herself.

Her subordinates swarmed around her, asking, “How was it? How old is that lady? Is she really Captain Chi’s sister?”

Back in the room, Chi Wei immediately pulled Xiao Yanyi to the table the moment she entered.

Chi Wei held her hand tightly. “How was it?”

“What do you mean ‘how was it’?” Xiao Yanyi grew nervous, worried that Chi Wei had heard her conversation with Cha Shiyu.

“They did not find out about you and Xiao Tan, did they?” Before Xiao Yanyi returned, Chi Wei had been pacing the room anxiously, her brow furrowed. Seeing the snake demon’s miserable end, her heart had been in her throat, fearing Xiao Yanyi’s identity as a demon would be exposed.

“Oh, you mean that. No, they will not find out.” Xiao Yanyi finally realized what she meant and sat Chi Wei down.

Recalling Cha Shiyu’s words, Xiao Yanyi could not help but think of the day she first met Chi Wei. It was a snowy day, and Chi Wei was wearing only a thin garment, shivering from the cold.

The only thing that could prove her identity was the name “Chi Wei” embroidered on her pouch. That pouch had long ago been given to her by a young Chi Wei as a birthday gift, and it lay in a box at home. Back then, Chi Wei was young and ignorant, and she had grandly called it an exchange of love tokens.

Thinking back, Hushi Valley was a ghostly place where winters could freeze a person to death; even the poorest family would not dress a child in such thin clothes.

So Chi Wei might indeed be a child kidnapped from the south and brought to the north.

But even so, Chi Wei could only belong to her, Xiao Yanyi.

Her sister had not searched for her for all these years, and now that Chi Wei had been raised by her, someone wanted to take her away.

She would not allow it!

Thinking that Chi Wei might have a random sister appear to take her away, a nameless fire rose in Xiao Yanyi’s heart.

She grabbed the collar of Chi Wei, who was chatting and laughing with Xiao Tan, and pulled her close, saying fiercely, “Until the Xuandu people leave, you are not allowed to step a single foot out of this room!”

“Huh?” Chi Wei looked blankly at Xiao Tan. Xiao Tan stopped her snacking and nodded vigorously at her. Chi Wei turned back, at a loss. “Alright, Wife.”

Until dinner time, Xiao Yanyi sat by the window alone, reading.

Chi Wei secretly counted that in the whole afternoon, she had only turned seven or eight pages.

She had no idea what she was reading or what she was thinking.

Knowing Xiao Yanyi had something on her mind, Chi Wei wanted to help share the burden. Finally, before dinner, she walked behind her and gently massaged her shoulders.

“How about I cook tonight? I will make a few dishes you and Xiao Tan like, okay?” Her voice was soft, carrying a hint of a coaxing probe.

She thought Xiao Yanyi’s expression would surely soften, but instead, the other woman grabbed her wrist. The grip was not heavy, but it stopped all her movements.

Xiao Yanyi did not turn around, her voice carrying a thin layer of irritation. “Have you never taken my words to heart? Before the Xuandu people leave, you are not to step a single foot out of this room. Do you think I was joking?”

“I only wanted to share your worries.” Chi Wei’s hand trembled. She slowly withdrew it and moved back two steps. Her fingertips hung in the air, not knowing where to put them.

Xiao Yanyi stood up. “Not moving around in this room is sharing my worries.”

“I understand.” She had meant well for Xiao Yanyi, but the other woman’s words were so sharp. Chi Wei’s heart felt a pang of bitterness. She lowered her head, pushed aside the bead curtain, and retreated to the table to play chess with Xiao Tan.

As soon as Chi Wei left, Xiao Yanyi regretted it. She closed her eyes and shook her head in frustration.

Not knowing what had happened between the two, Xiao Tan pretended not to have heard or seen anything.

When Xiao Yanyi finally emerged from behind the bead curtain and looked at her, Xiao Tan breathed a sigh of relief. She did not want to endure the tension in the room anymore and found an excuse to leave.

“I am a bit hungry; I will go to the kitchen to check on the food.”

The door closed, and the room grew quiet again.

Her heart felt stifled, and Chi Wei wanted to go out for some fresh air. But Xiao Yanyi had told her not to step a foot out of the room, and she felt quite useless because she truly did not dare to leave.

Xiao Yanyi’s footsteps sounded behind her. Chi Wei did not want to look back; she kept rubbing two chess pieces together in her hand.

Her shoulders felt a weight as Xiao Yanyi’s hands rested on them, mimicking the massage technique she had used earlier.

“Those Xuandu people… forget it, let us not talk about it. Xiao Chi, do not be unhappy. It was all my fault. Let me massage you, okay?”

She knew she was in the wrong. She had hesitated in the inner room for a long time before coming up with a poor solution: pretend to be jealous to beg for Chi Wei’s forgiveness.

“No need. I am not angry,” Chi Wei said in a flat tone.

But having grown up with her, Xiao Yanyi could tell at a glance if she was angry.

Xiao Yanyi leaned down, pressing her whole body against Chi Wei. She wrapped her arms around her and said softly, “It was my fault. Just now, that Captain Cha asked me about you, and I… I was a bit…”

“A bit what?”

Xiao Yanyi bit her lower lip, appearing troubled. “A bit jealous. That is why I spoke so hurriedly. Can you please not be angry with me?”

The moment the words left her mouth, Xiao Yanyi was a bit stunned herself. She had planned all this to make Chi Wei lose both fame and fortune, to make her regret what she had done. How did it end up with her coaxing this scoundrel?

But in the next second, Chi Wei’s anger vanished instantly. She tilted her head back and planted a soft kiss on Xiao Yanyi’s cheek, nodding with a smile.

Xiao Yanyi suddenly felt that letting Chi Wei remain amnesiac forever, keeping her in this manor, might not be a bad idea after all.

No one would fight her for the position of Hushi Valley Lord, she had a beautiful consort, and she would not have to go through the trouble of designing a plot to ruin Chi Wei’s reputation at the cost of her own.

But that seemed a bit too easy for this unfaithful person.

Chi Wei had no idea what she was calculating.

Chi Wei’s sadness came and went quickly.

Since Xiao Yanyi insisted on giving her a massage, she did not refuse. She picked up a book titled “Tales of the Strange” and began to read.

It contained stories of love and hate between ghosts and mortals. The more Chi Wei read, the more absorbed she became. Before she knew it, it was time for dinner.

She was reluctant to look away even at the dinner table, causing Xiao Yanyi and Xiao Tan to shake their heads.

Chi Wei looked around the room; they were all her own people. “Xiao Tan, are marriages between demons and humans common?”

Xiao Tan was chewing on a chicken leg, her words muffled. “Not common, but there are always a few whose brains are not clear.”

“Brains are not clear? What do you mean?” Chi Wei asked in confusion.

Xiao Tan stopped chewing. Xiao Yanyi gave her a look that told her to speak properly, then picked up a teacup, took a sip, and walked to the window.

Xiao Tan put down the chicken leg and cleared her throat. “I said it wrong. What I mean is, a demon should act like a demon; practice hard to become an immortal early. Love and romance are such a waste of time.” Sensing a cold gaze, Xiao Tan quickly changed her tune. “But you and Xiao Yanyi are different! You two are a perfect match, a pair made in heaven, destined to be together.”

Chi Wei’s face turned red. She returned to her book, but after a while, she saw something else and could not help but ask Xiao Tan again, “The lifespan of a human is different from a demon. One day, the human will grow old and die. What does the demon do then?”

“What else can they do? Those willing to stay in the mortal world find another sweetheart; those who are not, go back to the mountains to continue practicing.”

“Do not listen to her nonsense! You are only twenty-one; you have many long years ahead of you.” Xiao Yanyi had just sat down by the window, but hearing Xiao Tan speak so bluntly, she brought her tea back to the table.

The speaker was casual, but the listener was attentive. Chi Wei looked up at Xiao Yanyi, who had sat back down. Her skin was like snow, and her features were as exquisite as a painting, without a single trace of age.

Chi Wei picked up her tea and took a small sip. The ripples on the surface smoothed out, reflecting Chi Wei’s young face, but a bitter taste rose in her heart.

“I know what you are thinking. A hundred years from now… if you are no longer here, I will take Xiao Tan and go into seclusion in the mountains, never to step into the mortal world again.” Xiao Yanyi held Chi Wei’s cool hand. She also did not want to bring up this topic; the passing of time and the limited lifespan of mortals were things no one could change.

Even the most profound practitioners of the Way only lived a few decades longer than ordinary people before eventually turning into a handful of dust.

She had discussed this with Chi Wei before. Chi Wei did not say anything at the time, but she had been depressed for many days afterward.

Xiao Yanyi guessed that Chi Wei was afraid of becoming old and ugly while seeing her remain young and beautiful, or perhaps she was worried that after she passed away, Xiao Yanyi would find a young lady to continue her romance.

But the human lifespan was what it was, and she had no way to change it. She could only guarantee that after Chi Wei was gone, she would return to the mountains with Xiao Tan.

Chi Wei gave a shallow smile and returned to her book, but she no longer had the same interest as before.

Xiao Yanyi sighed. In the end, she could not bear to see her sad. She snatched the book from Chi Wei’s hand, threw it aside, and pulled Chi Wei to sit on the bed.

She lightly pinched the soft flesh on Chi Wei’s cheek and said helplessly, “Alright, you will not even agree to sleep with me now, and yet you are worrying about things a hundred years from now?”