After Marking The Cold and Aloof Omega Senior - Chapter 6

Xiao Mei: [The reason Qing Yao lost her memory is probably because the person who did the deed with you in the cave that day wasn’t actually Qing Yao.]

Fu Yu was thrown into confusion: What do you mean? Wouldn’t I know if it was Qing Yao or not?

Xiao Mei: [You really wouldn’t know.]

Fu Yu: Then tell me.

Xiao Mei: [That day, it was Zhuo Yao.]

Fu Yu: ?

Fu Yu thought of Ru Ping and Hu Ba: Qing Yao? Zhuo Yao? Identical twins?

Xiao Mei: [No, no. Zhuo Yao is actually an embodiment of Qing Yao’s desires.]

Fu Yu: Desires?

With a solid foundation in watching countless ancient fantasy dramas, Fu Yu caught on immediately and quickly understood what Xiao Mei meant.

Fu Yu: I see. You’re saying that Qing Yao’s desires have manifested as a second personality, and at certain times, her primary personality is taken over by this second one.

Xiao Mei: [Fu Yu, you’re so clever.]

Fu Yu was still puzzled: But from what I’ve read of the original work, there’s no mention of Qing Yao having a second personality named Zhuo Yao. In the original, she’s the number one celestial sister of the Guiyuan Realm, pure, refined, and transcendent. How could she possibly have desires? And even give rise to a Zhuo Yao?

Xiao Mei: [Any living being with flesh and blood has desires. Even little white rabbits spend all day thinking about eating carrots! Deep down, Qing Yao must also have things she wants and yearns for.]

Fu Yu rested her chin on her hand, propping her elbow on her bent knee, and wondered: Would someone like Qing Yao really have things she desires? What could they be?

Xiao Mei: [Fu Yu, you need to make Qing Yao remember that her second personality, um, had relations with you. That would help advance your relationship!]

Fu Yu: Let me think it over carefully. I need to plan this out. Suddenly, I feel that if what you say is true and there really is a Zhuo Yao, she might just be the perfect breakthrough to pull the celestial maiden down to the mortal world.

Xiao Mei: [Xiao Mei can also provide a clue that might help Fu Yu.]

Fu Yu: What is it?

Xiao Mei: [Fusheng Jade.]

Fusheng Jade locks away the past; the past drifts with the wind, life is but a dream.

Fu Yu knew about the Fusheng Jade. It was a rare spiritual treasure, said to be formed from the eyes of the ancient deity Qi Xi when his soul returned to chaos. There were two pieces in the world. If worn for a long time, it could absorb the wearer’s unpleasant and fearful memories, as well as various desires, purifying the heart and aiding in cultivation.

The original work briefly mentioned that Qing Yao was born holding a piece of jade, a pure white, flawless natal jade. Her family named her Qing Yao because she was born holding this unblemished jade.

That natal jade was the Fusheng Jade.

No one knew this secret until after Qing Yao joined the Guiyu Sect, when her master, Venerable Rong Yi, recognized the origin of the natal jade. However, after three days of divination, Venerable Rong Yi still couldn’t determine the significance of Qing Yao being born holding this jade.

Xiao Mei: [If you can sneak a look at her Fusheng Jade, you might find some clues about Zhuo Yao.]

Fu Yu thought back to that night in the cave, she hadn’t seen any jade on Qing Yao’s neck or anywhere else on her body. If it wasn’t on her, then it must be in her room.

So, Fu Yu “coincidentally” ran into Xiao Guo, an outer sect disciple, in the sect’s garden. Xiao Guo usually served in the Xiangxue Pavilion, taking care of Qing Yao’s daily needs.

Fu Yu lured Xiao Guo to the Serenity Pavilion with a handful of spiritual melon seeds for a chat. The two were around the same age and hit it off, chatting about food, cultivation, and sect gossip.

After some casual chatter, Fu Yu asked, “Xiao Guo, since you often move around the Xiangxue Garden, does our sect leader have any favorite accessories, like jade pendants or something?”

Xiao Guo looked puzzled. “Accessories? Jade pendants? Why do you ask?”

Fu Yu replied, “Well… it’s almost the sect leader’s birthday, and I wanted to give her a small gift. But I don’t know what she likes, so I came to ask you.” As she spoke, she pulled out three pre-drawn talismans and slipped them into Xiao Guo’s hand. “I made a few extra Thunderclap Talismans while practicing today. You can have them, they might come in handy if you ever run into trouble.”

Outer sect disciples rarely had access to such spells, and every one of them yearned for them. Xiao Guo immediately accepted the talismans. “It’s not that I particularly need these talismans, but since you’re so devoted and respectful to our sect leader, I’ll tell you.”

Fu Yu nodded. “Exactly, it’s all out of my unwavering loyalty and filial devotion.”

Xiao Guo said, “Our sect leader usually doesn’t pay much attention to worldly possessions. But as the leader, she has to maintain appearances when receiving guests, so she does dress up a bit. She has the usual hairpins, hair clasps, bracelets, and pendants, but honestly, in the five or six years I’ve served her, I’ve never noticed her favoring or disliking any particular item.”

Fu Yu thought to herself, “So Qing Yao is just like that, treating accessories and disciples alike, with no special preference for anyone.”

And yet, here she was, trying to win her over and become someone special to her. Was that even possible?

Seeing Fu Yu’s disappointed expression, Xiao Guo added, “Well, there is one thing that the sect leader treats differently.”

Fu Yu perked up. “What is it? Tell me quickly!”

Xiao Guo said, “The sect leader keeps a small box by her pillow. It must contain something she cherishes, or she wouldn’t keep it so close, sleeping with it every night.”

Fu Yu nodded. “That makes sense. So, what’s inside?”

Xiao Guo shook her head. “I’ve never seen her open it. Besides, she never lets anyone tidy her bedroom. I only know about the box because I once saw it when I delivered something for Senior You Li.”

Fu Yu stroked her chin, thinking, “It’s highly likely that the box contains the Fusheng Jade.”

But how could she sneak into Qing Yao’s room unnoticed?

Having gathered the information she needed, Fu Yu returned to her room, sat by the table, propped her chin in her hands, and began pondering how to stealthily infiltrate Qing Yao’s quarters.

No matter how much she racked her brain, she couldn’t come up with a plan.

Fu Yu: “Xiao Mei, Qing Yao’s cultivation is so high. If I sneak in, I’ll definitely be caught.”

Xiao Mei: [Don’t worry, Fu Yu! The two of us are the biggest bugs in this world. Aside from controlling people’s thoughts, what can’t we do?]

Fu Yu: “You have a way?”

Xiao Mei: [I can teleport you from one place to another. Of course, I have a way to let you come and go from Qing Yao’s room without anyone noticing.]

Then, a transparent butterfly appeared before Fu Yu.

Fu Yu: “What’s this?”

Xiao Mei: [This is the Butterfly of Light, formed from condensed rays, capable of blending into sunlight. No immortal arts or spiritual powers in this world can detect it. You only need a drop of blood from your fingertip to synchronize your senses with this butterfly.]

Thus, Fu Yu fetched a small fruit knife, hesitated over her index finger, gritted her teeth, hesitated again, and after a long while still couldn’t bring herself to make the cut.

Bursting into tears, she cried, “Xiao Mei, I’m scared of pain!”

Xiao Mei rolled her eyes and conjured another blade of light. With lightning speed, she made a swift cut on Fu Yu’s index finger. Fu Yu immediately clutched her hand in pain, looking as pitiful as a cat that had been beaten.

A drop of crimson blood flew into the air and merged into the abdomen of the Butterfly of Light. The butterfly’s wings flickered with light before extinguishing, disappearing into the surrounding rays.

Under Fu Yu’s conscious control, the Butterfly of Light flew toward the direction of Xiangxue Garden.

This was the first time Fu Yu had viewed the sect’s scenery from a bird’s-eye perspective. Some senior disciples were practicing swordplay in the garden; Senior Sister Hu Ba was chatting idly with a few other senior sisters in a circle; Senior Sister Ru Ping was meditating under a banyan tree; Senior Sister Yun Tai, with her golden hair and green robe, looked more and more like a rapeseed flower; Senior Sister You Li was sitting on the threshold of her Wugou Hall, cracking melon seeds and having fun… Wow, this is so much fun…

Xiao Mei: [Fu Yu, where have you directed the Butterfly of Light? Hasn’t it reached Xiangxue Garden yet?]

Xiao Mei, unable to establish a sensory connection with the butterfly like Fu Yu, noticed Fu Yu hadn’t shared any observations for a while and asked.

Fu Yu snapped back to reality, realizing she had gotten carried away with the fun, and quickly collected her thoughts: “Oh, it’s almost at Xiangxue Garden.”

The Butterfly of Light arrived at Xiangxue Garden and first searched for Qing Yao’s whereabouts. Finding her in the conference hall discussing matters with a few senior disciples and not in her bedroom, it boldly flew inside.

As soon as it entered the room, it headed straight for the bed.

Qing Yao’s bed curtains were an elegant light cardamom color, and her pillows and quilt were a serene orchid purple, without any patterns. The overall style perfectly matched her usual cold and reserved personality.

The Butterfly of Light perched by the pillow. Fu Yu looked around and finally, on the inner side of the pillow, discovered a small rosewood box.

The butterfly flew over to the box.

Fu Yu exclaimed excitedly: “I found the box!”

Xiao Mei: [Really? Quickly open it and see if it’s the Fusheng Jade.]

Guiding the Butterfly of Light, Fu Yu slowly lifted the lid a little.

Then, a…?

A bamboo dragonfly?

Fu Yu was stunned. Why a bamboo dragonfly?

Observing the style and craftsmanship of the bamboo dragonfly, it seemed utterly ordinary! The material was indeed just common bamboo. Was this really worth Qing Yao storing in a special box and keeping by her pillow?

The Butterfly of Light closed the box and flew over to Qing Yao’s dressing table for a look. The jade accessories there also appeared quite ordinary.

Fu Yu was utterly disappointed. Well, now there wasn’t the slightest clue about the Fusheng Jade.

Fu Yu intended to withdraw the Butterfly of Light, but just then, Qing Yao returned to her room and happened to collide head-on with the butterfly.

As luck would have it, it bumped right into a jade pendant hanging at Qing Yao’s waist.

At the moment of impact, the jade pendant flickered almost imperceptibly and absorbed the Butterfly of Light.

Fu Yu felt a sudden “buzz” in her head, immediately closed her eyes, and passed out.

Xiao Mei: [Oh no, Fu Yu’s consciousness has been sucked away!]