I Need To Find A Way To Make Her Love Me Again - Chapter 41

The phrase “see no evil” completely choked back the words Yan Xingyu wanted to say. She rubbed her brow, thinking that this sort of thing would likely happen often in the future. Since she and Xiao Yin (Little Silver) could not be separated, and the other was being so sensible, she decided not to say more.

Another clone of Yi Rong appeared beside her and said, “I’ll take you out first.”

Yan Xingyu asked, “Alright, but how did you bring me here? Weren’t we just in the Ghost City?”

“The barrier of the Ghost City has dissipated. Without it, I can move freely and control the Shadow Fish to teleport you here.”

Yi Rong lifted Yan Xingyu’s hand, removed the ring from her finger, and dropped it to the ground, where it transformed into a Shadow Fish. Its size shifted effortlessly. With a flick of her finger, Yi Rong called it back to Yan Xingyu’s hand, where it became a ring once more. She said, “You can also come here through the Shadow Fish.”

Yan Xingyu looked at the black ring on her finger, remembering how she had overthought things when Yi Rong first gave it to her. She remarked, “It really is a convenient thing. But do you know? In the world I came from, rings have a special meaning.”

Yi Rong asked, “What meaning?”

“It is a token of love given to one’s sweetheart.”

Seeing the other woman wink at her, Yi Rong suddenly realized her intention. Her eyes curved into a shallow smile as she said, “That is exactly what I meant.”

Yan Xingyu had intended to tease her, but she hadn’t expected Yi Rong to catch on so quickly. Though she suspected Yi Rong was saying it on purpose, since if she had meant it back then, she’d have been possessed, hearing it still made her heart swell with sweetness. She thought to herself that this woman was a fast learner when it came to sweet talk. With a hum, she stepped forward and kissed the Yi Rong bound to the fire lotus, then ran back and kissed the “Yi Rong” clone, saying, “Don’t worry, I won’t play favorites.”

Yi Rong smiled and said, “Good.”

As she spoke, she summoned the Shadow Fish, which wrapped around Yan Xingyu’s waist in a return of affection. In an instant, countless black shadow fish leapt from the ground, enveloping them both.

When Yan Xingyu blinked again, she saw they were back near the Yulan Palace. Looking at the dim sky just before dawn, she sighed, “The sun is almost up.”

Scanning the quiet woods, she saw no sign of Guan Fei or the others. “Should we wait for them here, or head to Yulan Palace first?”

Yi Rong replied, “Let’s wait for them here for a while.”

Now that their relationship had grown closer, the invisible barrier between them seemed to have vanished. Thoughts that Yan Xingyu had previously avoided for fear of triggering bad memories now came tumbling out: “Yi Rong, you don’t seem to want to return to Yulan Palace very much.”

Having learned from past mistakes, Yi Rong no longer kept her past or her thoughts hidden. She said, “Yan Xiaoling did more than just destroy Yulan Palace beyond recognition, she is also breeding Human Gu (venomous parasites) inside. I am afraid I cannot protect you alone. We should wait for Guan Fei and the others.”

Hearing Yan Xiaoling’s name, Yan Xingyu couldn’t help but curse, “How much evil has that woman done? And yet you still won’t let me kill her. Are we just going to let her remain a scourge for a thousand years?”

Seeing that Yan Xingyu was merely frustrated and not angry with her personally, Yi Rong pursed her lips and tried to keep her voice steady as she explained: “She and Aunt Xiang were twin sisters. However, the elders of the Yan Clan prophesied that she would bring calamity to Yulan Palace and cause the downfall of the entire clan.”

“Though that has indeed happened now, she was just an infant who couldn’t even speak then. The old Palace Master couldn’t bear to end her newborn daughter’s life, so she sent her to Mt. Yuanming to be raised by others.”

“She hoped that even if they never met again, at least her younger daughter would be safe and grow up peacefully.”

“Ten years passed, and Aunt Xiang became a rising star among the disciples, stunning everyone. Perhaps due to a natural twin connection, while out traveling, she actually encountered her sister at Mt. Yuanming.”

“Filled with pity, she returned and questioned the old Palace Master why her sister was left wandering outside. Upon hearing the reason, Aunt Xiang found it absurd. Despite her disagreement, she was too young to defy the elders and could not bring her sister back.”

“So, Aunt Xiang worked even harder at her cultivation, hoping that once she became the Palace Master, she could bring her sister home. In the meantime, she frequently snuck out to visit her.”

“In this way, the sisters became very close. Once Aunt Xiang took over as Palace Master, she immediately brought her sister back to the palace.”

“However, not long after Yan Xiaoling returned, she murdered the old Palace Master.”

Yan Xingyu frowned. Yi Rong continued without pause.

“Aunt Xiang witnessed the whole thing. She was shocked and heartbroken, yet out of sisterly love, she did not seek retribution. She merely imprisoned her and told the world she had suffered a cultivation deviation.”

“But the Yan Clan elders didn’t believe her story and demanded Yan Xiaoling’s execution. Helpless, Aunt Xiang could only banish her from the palace.”

“Still, Aunt Xiang did not give up on her sister. she felt she had simply lost her way or been provoked by wicked people. As the elder sister, she felt it was her duty to lead her back to the righteous path.”

“But… Yan Xiaoling was born wicked.”

“In the end, Aunt Xiang realized she couldn’t save her sister. But she had her own principles. She told me: Do not let another’s evil destroy your own truth.”

“She followed that principle to the very end.”

“No matter what atrocities Yan Xiaoling committed, Aunt Xiang would only place her in confinement and quietly clean up her messes. Until finally, Aunt Xiang lost her life at her sister’s hands, leading to the collapse of Yulan Palace.”

“I hate her with every fiber of my being. But the core principle that Aunt Xiang gave her life to maintain is something I will uphold for her. I will carry out her teachings to the end.”

“So, I can only find ways to trap her and do my best to stop her from doing evil.”

Yan Xingyu felt complicated after hearing this. To her, killing Yan Xiaoling long ago would have solved everything, but she understood that some people live for their convictions.

After a long silence, she said helplessly, “All I can say is, I won’t kill her in front of you.”

Yi Rong smiled, knowing this was the greatest concession she would get. “That is enough.”

Yan Xingyu sighed. This woman was far too easy to satisfy.

“Xingyu!”

Hearing someone call her name, she turned to see Guan Fei and the others arriving on their swords. Guan Fei asked anxiously, “Xingyu, are you alright? Did you encounter danger in the Ghost City?”

Yan Xingyu replied, “I’m fine. I’m not the amateur I used to be. Don’t worry.”

Noticing Jiaoyu staring at her silently, she touched her face and said, “What’s wrong, little one? Why are you staring at me?”

Jiaoyu looked at the demonic qi radiating from Yan Xingyu, which felt different than usual. She finally understood why her sisters had seen through her and Guan Fei’s relationship so easily. She quipped, “I spent all night looking for you, can’t I at least look at you now?”

Yan Xingyu felt there was a subtext she wasn’t quite catching, but assuming they were tired, she said, “Look all you want! Sorry for making you worry. Since you’ve been running around all night, why don’t we rest before moving on?”

Guan Fei agreed, “A rest would be good to regain our strength.”

They sat by a fire. Thinking of Yi Rong’s physical body, Yan Xingyu asked Guan Fei, “Guan Fei, can you contact Liu Ruoni?”

Guan Fei was surprised. “I can. Why do you ask?”

Yan Xingyu explained that Yi Rong’s body was trapped in a fire lotus and they needed the Earth Spirit Crystal from Qingding Mountain to free her. They would need Liu Ruoni’s help to get back in.

Guan Fei nodded. “I see. You want Miss Liu to meet us.”

“Yes,” Yan Xingyu said. “Things ended on a bad note when we left Qingding Mountain. It won’t be easy to go back without someone on the inside.”

“True,” Guan Fei said. “I’ll send a jade bird to inform her.”

Guan Fei conjured a green bird in her palm, whispered a message to it, and watched it fly away. Yan Xingyu was impressed. “Guan Fei, you are the most efficient person I know.”

“Xingyu, time waits for no one. Isn’t it better to settle things quickly?”

“True. Thanks, Guan Fei. You’ve done so much for me lately, I don’t know how to repay you.”

“Don’t be polite. That’s what friends are for.”

Yan Xingyu paused, then said, “Guan Fei, I’ll remember your kindness.”

“Why so formal today? Did you do something behind my back?” Guan Fei teased. When Yan Xingyu stayed silent, she gasped, “Wait, did you actually?”

Yan Xingyu realized a woman’s intuition was terrifying. She coughed and whispered, “Yi Rong and I are together.”

“Oh, is that all? I thought it was something serious.”

Seeing Guan Fei’s lack of surprise, Yan Xingyu’s shyness vanished. “What do you mean, ‘is that all’?”

Guan Fei laughed. “Xingyu, you already shouted to everyone at Lingluan Palace that you liked Yi Rong. The whole world basically knows.”

Forced to remember that embarrassing missing memory, Yan Xingyu covered her face. “Fine, forget I said anything.”

Guan Fei smiled. “But still, congratulations.”

“Congratulations on the person in your heart belonging to you as well.”