I Need To Find A Way To Make Her Love Me Again - Chapter 34

The Sea Dragon lingered, rubbing against the stone statue with nostalgic attachment for a long while. Taking advantage of this opening, Yan Xingyu summoned her long blade, attempting to pierce the restraints binding her.

In the next second, she was brought before a pair of eyes as large as lanterns. Her movements slowed as she observed what the creature intended to do. Seeing it open its mouth to reveal a blue, needle-like glow, her scalp tingled. She noticed the Sea Dragon’s pupils shifting as if it had spotted something.

Suddenly, someone tapped her shoulder. Turning around, she saw the very person she had been pining for. Yan Xingyu’s eyes widened in surprise. “Yi Rong? How did you find your way here?”

Feeling her body loosen, she was pulled into an embrace. Watching the Sea Dragon wag its tail and swim away, she asked, “Does that sea monster fear you?”

“No. She simply doesn’t like me, so she doesn’t want to stay near me.”

Confused, Yan Xingyu asked, “Why doesn’t she like you?”

Yi Rong brought them back down to the ground. After checking the state of the spiritual energy layer covering Yan Xingyu, she replied, “When I was little, I thought she was an evil sea monster and fought her. So, I’m disliked.”

Recalling what Xuan Ya had said the previous night, Yan Xingyu asked, “Did you come to Lingluan Palace often when you were a child?”

“Yes.”

“So, have you and Guan Fei known each other since you were young?”

“Not exactly. She didn’t like me or Yan Rou, so we had no contact back then.”

“Oh, I see.”

Yi Rong scanned the surroundings and said, “I’ll take you out of here.”

“You haven’t answered my initial question yet,” Yan Xingyu said, glancing at the black ring on her hand. “I didn’t touch it this time.”

Seeing Yi Rong’s eyes flicker with avoidance as she repeated, “Let me take you out first,” Yan Xingyu teased provocatively, “Why won’t you answer? Are you secretly monitoring me and too afraid to say so?”

After a moment of deliberation, Yi Rong confessed, “If there is a significant fluctuation in the spiritual energy around you, the black ring senses it and transmits it to me. Fearing you were in danger, I came.”

“I see,” Yan Xingyu said with a knowing look and a playful smile. “You really do care about me.”

“As one should for a friend.”

As soon as Yi Rong said this, she noticed Yan Xingyu’s smile vanish. “What’s wrong?”

Yan Xingyu simply turned back toward the stone statue. “Nothing. I don’t want to leave just yet.”

Following her and sensing the sudden shift in mood, Yi Rong asked, “Why are you looking at this?”

“Do you know who this is? I’ve seen her statue near Mount Qingding before.”

“She is the ancestor of Lingluan Palace,” Yi Rong replied. After a pause, she added, “Though you might have heard of her by another title.”

“What title?”

“Fairy Xiangzhu.”

Seeing the surprise on Yan Xingyu’s face, Yi Rong knew she had heard the rumors. “The legend of ‘The Crane Tower Ascending to Immortality’ is about her.”

Yan Xingyu looked skeptical. “Wasn’t the rumor that she only cared about eating, drinking, and playing? How is she the ancestor of Lingluan Palace?”

“Fairy Xiangzhu was indeed fond of leisure and luxury when she governed the palace,” Yi Rong explained.

“Looking at the palace now, you’d never guess their ancestor was such a pleasure seeker,” Yan Xingyu remarked, shaking her head as she thought of the cold halls and expressionless maids above.

“It’s not necessarily a bad thing now,” Yi Rong said. “At least it provides stability to the region.”

“You seem to highly approve of Palace Master Guan,” Yan Xingyu noted.

“I do.”

“Why?”

Seeing Yi Rong hesitate again, a surge of irritation rose in Yan Xingyu. She scoffed, “Whenever there’s something you don’t want to answer, you dodge the question or stay silent. Is my question really that difficult? Or do you just not want to tell me the truth?”

The atmosphere grew tense. Yi Rong knit her brows. “It’s not that. It’s just… I don’t know where to begin.”

“I don’t mind if you start from the very beginning.”

At this moment, Yan Xingyu wanted total transparency. She had lost the patience for slow investigations and constant guessing.

Sensing the anger, Yi Rong gathered her thoughts. “Yulan Palace and Lingluan Palace are long-time allies. The two Palace Masters were close, so Yan Rou and I played here often as children. Though Palace Master Guan is strict with her daughter, she was kind to us and told us stories.”

“Palace Master Guan is a principled person with a warm heart. The destruction of Yulan Palace hit her hard, which is why Lingluan Palace is so cold now. I often miss the carefree days at Yulan Palace, but honestly… Auntie Xiang (the former Yulan Palace Master) wasn’t suited to lead. She was too gentle. The people were too relaxed, which left them vulnerable to malice. The fall of the Yan clan stemmed from that.”

“In these chaotic times where demons are frequent, the women of Lingluan Palace are highly skilled due to strict training. Even the maids can hold their own. If chaos breaks out, they won’t panic. That is why I think Palace Master Guan is a good leader.”

Yan Xingyu replied, “See? You can explain things clearly. It seems you just didn’t want to talk to me before.”

Yi Rong felt helpless. “No. I just thought those things were irrelevant to you before. I won’t think that way anymore. If there is anything else you want to know, I will tell you the truth.”

Yan Xingyu laughed, her frustration vanishing. “I’m interested in you, and everything involving the people and events around me. Tell me more when you can.”

Yi Rong agreed.

Yan Xingyu then asked, “If Palace Master Guan isn’t unreasonable, why did she lock Guan Fei up?”

Yi Rong looked at the statue. “Because Fairy Xiangzhu had a deep history with the ancestor of Mount Qingding. Since Fairy Xiangzhu is the Guan family ancestor, and Guan Fei killed the beloved beast of the Qingding ancestor, Palace Master Guan had to give them an explanation.”

Yan Xingyu marveled at the complexity of these relationships. “What do you mean by ‘deep history’?”

“It is said the Qingding ancestor was deeply in love with Fairy Xiangzhu and pursued her many times, but they never ended up together. After she ascended to immortality, the gap between them became even greater. But the Qingding ancestor remained devoted and carved countless statues of her. This one was a gift to Lingluan Palace.”

Yan Xingyu felt a slight chill. Looking at the exquisite craftsmanship, she realized Lingluan Palace likely found the obsession tiresome and, unable to destroy an ancestor’s likeness, simply sank it to the bottom of the sea. “The old baggage of the ancestors is still dragging the younger generation down.”

“Human relationships are always intertwined like that,” Yi Rong noted.

“I didn’t expect such a profound insight from you.”

“Auntie Xiang taught me that.”

Knowing Yi Rong grew up by the side of Yan Rou’s mother, Yan Xingyu said, “You were lucky to meet such a good person.”

Yi Rong smiled and agreed. Seeing that gentle smile, Yan Xingyu felt a stir in her heart. “Then you must have been a very good kid growing up, huh?”

Before Yi Rong could answer, a current of air surged toward them from behind. Yan Xingyu grabbed Yi Rong, pulling her close and spinning their positions.

After blocking the current with her blade, she saw two sea monsters with dolphin like bodies and three small eyes swimming toward them. On their dorsal fins grew rows of translucent flower buds that emitted shimmering particles.

Yan Xingyu hesitated to strike, but Yi Rong pulled her into another embrace, retreating quickly. “Why are we running?”

“Don’t hurt them,” Yi Rong said. “The sea monsters here aren’t evil, but they are playful and don’t know their own strength. We need to get back to the surface and avoid them.”

Yan Xingyu nodded in understanding, but as she saw the two “White Blooms” chasing them happily, she noticed Yi Rong’s brow was furrowed with tension. “Yi Rong, are you actually afraid of them?”

Seeing Yi Rong purse her lips, Yan Xingyu knew she had guessed right. “These two are the most mischievous. Their fins release a substance that causes euphoria and hallucinations. We can’t let them get close.”

“So you’ve been caught by them before, haven’t you?”

“Yes…”

Yan Xingyu laughed at Yi Rong’s pained expression. Suddenly, one of the White Blooms sped up like a rocket. “They’re catching up!”

Yi Rong summoned her Shadow Fish to bind the closest monster, but a sharp, electronic like shriek echoed, signaling the creature’s distress. Yi Rong hesitated for a split second, and in that moment, the other White Bloom charged, its long snout aiming to separate the two women.

Yan Xingyu suppressed her urge to fight and instead clung tightly to Yi Rong.

As the bound White Bloom struggled to get close and nuzzled them affectionately, Yi Rong was torn. Meanwhile, a strange, sweet fragrance drifted into Yan Xingyu’s nose. She couldn’t help but breathe deeper.

A wave of lightheadedness washed over her. Looking into those pale amber eyes, she saw her own reflection. A surge of boundless joy filled her heart. She pulled Yi Rong down, nuzzling her affectionately.

“Yi Rong,” she murmured, “you’re so good to me…”