I Need To Find A Way To Make Her Love Me Again - Chapter 43

The smell of earth mixed in her nasal cavity, causing Yan Xingyu to wrinkle her face in discomfort. After falling underground, she suppressed the pain racking her body and quickly scrambled to her feet. Looking up, she saw an old woman with white hair and withered, crane-like skin who had appeared out of nowhere.

“Who are you?” Yan Xingyu demanded sharply.

Yan Zhouzhi looked at the girl before her, whose eyes were filled with wariness. A flash of complex emotion passed through her sunken sockets. Her gaunt face was little more than skin stretched over bone; she no longer looked human. Opening her parched lips, she spoke: “I am one of the elders of the Yan Clan. Child, you may call me Elder Yan.”

She reached out and summoned the blue butterflies surrounding the girl back into her palm. “My apologies,” she said. “I had no choice but to meet you in this manner.”

“I presume you have already encountered the treacherous seed of my clan, Yan Xiaoling.”

Hearing that name, Yan Xingyu froze. Seeing the skeletal old woman leaning against the earthen wall for support, speaking with barely enough breath to sustain her words, Yan Xingyu retracted her hostility and gave a soft grunt of affirmation.

Yan Zhouzhi continued, “Perhaps this is destiny. Since you have been reborn into my granddaughter’s body, you must naturally inherit the fate she carried.”

“Her mother was soft-hearted and raised a source of evil, bringing disaster upon us. Her daughter, in turn, suffered the consequences of that karma, and her life was cut short.”

Yan Zhouzhi’s calm tone faltered for a moment, choked with emotion. She forced herself to regain composure and said slowly, “They have suffered the seeds and fruits of this calamity, and so have we. I know this is an untoward request, but I beg of you, child, help me bring all of this to an end.”

“I beg you, kill Yan Xiaoling. Set free the thousands of Yan Clan members trapped here.”

Even reduced to such a state, the old woman’s speech retained an innate noble grace. Yet, despite that, she spoke in a low, sorrowful plea for help. Yan Xingyu felt a whirlwind of conflicting emotions.

She asked, “What is going on with the Yan Clan members trapped here?”

The thought of it caused Yan Zhouzhi unbearable heartbreak. She said mournfully, “The moth demon you just encountered is a monster specifically bred by Yan Xiaoling. She severs the heads of cultivators and uses the moth demon as a medium to preserve them inside. This not only nourishes the moth demon but allows her to control the heads, stitching them onto other corpses.”

“In doing so, she creates obedient ‘human puppets’ while retaining the martial prowess they possessed in life.”

“Everyone in the Yulan Palace was decapitated by her to be made into puppets. Among the corpses scattered across this mountain, not a single one is whole.”

Hearing this, no matter how indifferent Yan Xingyu usually was, she couldn’t help but be moved. More than that, she already loathed Yan Xiaoling. She said with disgust, “That beast… she truly deserves to die.”

Yan Zhouzhi narrowed her clouded eyes, lost in a mix of memory and regret. “I knew long ago that she would be the one to topple the Yan Clan, yet I could not find the heart to eliminate her. Because of that, my children and grandchildren have met with this catastrophe.”

“The blame lies with me as well.”

She let out a deep sigh. “Fortunately, the Heavens left me with this last breath to wait for you.”

As she spoke, she gathered the blue butterflies in her palm, transforming them into a beam of light that she transferred into Yan Xingyu. “I know this journey is arduous. I am passing my lifelong cultivation to you. I hope you are willing to assist me.”

Yan Xingyu watched as the blue light shot into her body. For a moment, she felt as if she had ascended above the clouds, everything in the world looked like ants under her control. The sensation of such immense power shocked her deeply.

However, seeing the already withered old woman visibly shriveling away, her life force vanishing rapidly, Yan Xingyu was horrified. She shouted, “Take it back! I don’t want your spiritual power!”

She ran forward, attempting to return the energy, but for some reason, it was completely ineffective. Seeing the old woman on the verge of death, she said in frustration, “How can you just force this on me like this?”

Yan Zhouzhi merely smiled at her words. “Child, what is your name?”

Yan Xingyu looked helplessly at the stubborn, proud elder and replied, “Yan Xingyu.”

“So, you are also a member of my Yan family.”

The elder smiled and closed her eyes. Her body, propped against the mud wall, slumped over. Yan Xingyu caught her just in time and noticed several thumb-thick vines connected to the woman’s back.

At that moment, the vines began to shrink and wither along with the woman, silently losing all signs of life. Yan Xingyu watched it all in silence, the scene feeling surreal, like a dream.

A faint sound came from behind her. She turned alertly and saw someone emerging from the shadows. She paused, surprised. “Yi Rong.”

Looking at the old woman leaning against Yan Xingyu, Yi Rong’s gaze sharpened. She stepped forward and reached out to check Yan Zhouzhi’s breath, discovering the abnormality in her body, but she was already beyond saving.

She looked at the person beside her and asked, “Did she say anything to you?”

The underground was dim and devoid of light, emotions seemed to sink into the darkness, coiling and intertwining in the narrow space.

After weighing her options, Yan Xingyu only told her a portion of what the elder had said.

Seeing Yi Rong’s expression shift from sudden fury to worry, Yan Xingyu knew the other woman’s heart was even more conflicted than her own. Yan Xingyu suppressed her own inner turmoil and offered comfort: “The elder has passed. Let us first prepare her remains and build her a tomb.”

“Yes.”

With sorrow in her eyes, Yi Rong used her Qi to lift Yan Zhouzhi’s body into the air. She severed the vines on the elder’s back, ordered her Shadow Fish to clean the mud from the body, smoothed her clothes, and buried her in the earth.

She then twisted the vines from the mud wall into a small tablet and set it in the ground. Seeing that the arrangements were complete, Yan Xingyu bowed before the grave and said, “Senior, may you rest in peace.”

Turning back to see Yi Rong staring at the small grave marker in silence, Yan Xingyu took her hand and said, “Things have already come to this. We can only do our best.”

“Yes, I know.”

Yan Xingyu’s thoughts were still on Guan Fei and the others. She asked, “Yi Rong, how did you get here? How are Guan Fei and the rest?”

“I found you through the Shadow Fish. I didn’t see them; I thought you were together.”

Yan Xingyu pondered for a moment before saying, “I was taken away by the Plain Moth. They should still be in that mist. Let’s go back and find them first.”

“I encountered human puppets, and they are very difficult to deal with. I’m afraid they might be in danger too.”

“Alright, let’s head back.”

Thinking of the other’s abilities, Yan Xingyu asked, “Can you take me through the ground?”

Yi Rong replied, “I can. But why do it that way?”

Yan Xingyu thought of the successive attacks she had faced, she constantly felt as though someone was nearby monitoring and obstructing her.

Considering that Elder Yan had hidden underground specifically to avoid being discovered, it meant Yan Xiaoling wasn’t alone in Yulan Palace. Someone likely many people was helping her.

With a primary suspect in mind, she felt they shouldn’t linger here and needed to leave as quickly as possible.

She said, “These mountains are crawling with human puppets we can’t handle. We’ll go underground to avoid detection and get out of here first.”

Yi Rong nodded in understanding. Using the Shadow Fish as a medium, she led Yan Xingyu through the earth, rushing back toward Yulan Palace to find the others.

Hidden within the Shadow Fish, Yan Xingyu noticed a difference from before, she could clearly sense the changes in the surroundings as they moved. This was a sensation she’d never had, and the words the old woman spoke before her death echoed in her mind.

The Elder had bestowed her lifelong cultivation upon her. Yan Xingyu felt she did not deserve such a gift.

Her brow furrowed at the thought. Though they were in total darkness, she could perceive massive amounts of black energy radiating from the areas they passed an endless, flickering source of corruption.

She finally realized what the foul stench Guan Fei and the others mentioned was, it was the smell of these thousands of rotting corpses.

Gazing at Yi Rong’s back, Yan Xingyu asked again, “Yi Rong, do you smell anything?”

Yi Rong looked back. “No? Why do you ask?”

“Nothing,” Yan Xingyu murmured. “It might just be my imagination.”

“We’re almost there,” Yi Rong said, her brow suddenly knitting as if she sensed something wrong.

Yan Xingyu immediately followed suit, discovering that it wasn’t just Guan Fei and the others at Yulan Palace, there were three other people near them.

She was astonished. How could there be so many people here? Who were they?

Yi Rong said, “Xingyu, wait for me here. I’ll go bring Guan Fei and the others over.”

“No, you can’t handle them alone. We go together.”

Hearing this, Yi Rong realized Yan Xingyu was also aware of the situation above. Remembering that Yan Xingyu had just received help from Yan Zhouzhi and that her power had surged, Yi Rong changed her mind. “Alright. You take Guan Fei and the others and leave first. I’ll deal with those people.”

Fearing that Yan Xingyu might be held back by her, Yi Rong urged, “You go first, I’ll follow shortly. Don’t worry, they can’t hurt me.”

Yan Xingyu trusted Yi Rong’s abilities. Given the dire situation, they couldn’t afford any delay, so she agreed.

Amidst the thick fog, a patch of land was claimed by a blazing fire. Within the flames, two figures were faintly visible. Though the mist swirled and gathered, it could not penetrate the heat.

Jiao Yu supported Guan Fei, letting her lean against her. Seeing Guan Fei biting her lower lip to endure the pain, a flash of heartache crossed Jiao Yu’s eyes. Knowing that Guan Fei had injured herself and broken her own cultivation just to lead her out of the barrier filled Jiao Yu with both guilt and rage.

She glared toward the figures hidden in the fog and launched three streaks of fire forward. The tongues of flame licked through the mist, momentarily revealing the surroundings. Although the fog quickly rushed back in, Jiao Yu caught sight of their hidden assailants.

Seeing an unfamiliar woman’s face, she demanded, “Who are you?”

Yan Xiaoling held a talisman, intending to pull them back into a barrier. However, the pair was on guard, staying strictly within the fire circle where she couldn’t approach. She inwardly sighed at their cleverness.

Still, her gaze shifted to two observers nearby. She called out loudly, “What are you waiting for? Help me capture them!”

Jiao Yu spun around sharply to parry a blade attacking from behind. Seeing two masked figures suddenly emerge and charge at them, she swung her fiery tail to meet the attack.

Sensing another woman flying toward her to break the fire circle, Jiao Yu found herself unable to split her attention. Seeing her defensive line about to be breached, she held Guan Fei tight, intending to gather her fire spirit for a massive, singular blast.

She hesitated only because such an attack would leave her briefly weakened. In that moment of indecision, the fireballs surrounding her began to spin into a vortex, consuming everything in their path with unstoppable force.

Suddenly, a slight coolness against her neck settled her resolve. Jiao Yu pulled the person beside her close and let the surrounding fireballs crash into the ground, erupting into a fire tornado that surged outward. She used the opening to bolt.

Recognizing her intent, Yan Xiaoling sneered, “This isn’t a place where you can just come and go as you please.”

“You won’t be able to keep us here.”