Mistress of the Underworld and Her Little Celestial Wife - Chapter 102

Si Lingqing had just emerged from the Underworld when she received a message from Ni Miaoyuan.

Back when she had assigned Ni Miaoyuan the task, Si Lingqing had given her a magical artifact that allowed her to contact her anytime, anywhere. Now, it seemed the other party had obtained some clues about the West Moon Kingdom.

With a flick of her sleeve, Si Lingqing summoned Ni Miaoyuan’s translucent figure before her. The woman glowed faintly, her expression darkening slightly upon seeing Si Lingqing as she bowed and said, “Young Mistress.”

Si Lingqing gave a slight nod and asked, “Did you find anything after crossing the desert?”

Ni Miaoyuan lowered her eyes and replied, “Indeed, I’ve uncovered some leads about the West Moon Kingdom. I stayed there for two days and discovered quite a few things.”

Due to the limitations of the transmission, physical letters couldn’t be sent, so Ni Miaoyuan had to recount everything she had organized. When she mentioned that Ah Qin had used her own soul and two magical artifacts to conceal the West Moon Kingdom, Si Lingqing’s expression darkened instantly.

“Quite unexpected,” Si Lingqing said, crossing her arms. “To hide an entire kingdom single-handedly, she’s clearly no ordinary person.”

Perhaps she really was a lost descendant of the gods.

The information Ni Miaoyuan had gathered over the past few days aligned closely with Si Lingqing’s own suspicions. The deeper the investigation went, the more certain Si Lingqing became of her judgment she never should have involved Mu Yin in this matter.

Ni Miaoyuan hesitated for a moment before speaking up again, “Young Mistress, once this matter is resolved, I’d like to travel south.”

Si Lingqing glanced at her. “Why?”

“I want to find her,” Ni Miaoyuan said.

After studying her for a moment, Si Lingqing relented. “Fine. Go if you wish.”

Ni Miaoyuan’s face lit up with joy. She bowed and then vanished from Si Lingqing’s sight. Left alone, Si Lingqing stood in place, lost in thought for a long while before finally tightening her grip on the bone string in her hand and heading toward her courtyard.

Mu Yin was already preparing for bed, removing the hairpins from her hair and placing them on the dressing table. Hong Zhuang had brought her several new exquisitely crafted jade and fairy-branch hairpins today not only beautiful and lively in design but also imbued with various effects when worn. Mu Yin found them quite fascinating.

Hearing movement in the room, Mu Yin turned and saw Si Lingqing, who had appeared inside without warning. She couldn’t help but complain, “Why don’t you ever use the door?”

Si Lingqing replied, “Doors are troublesome. Isn’t walking through walls more convenient?”

Mu Yin wasn’t sure if she was joking or serious and laughed. “What, are you a ghost or something, walking through walls?”

Setting the hairpins aside, she stood up and walked over. “Where have you been? You left without even saying a word.”

Earlier, Yu Luo, concerned that her daughter might not sleep well at night, had sent over several more quilts. Mu Yin ran her fingers over them, the fabric was as smooth as animal fur. According to Hong Zhuang, the lining was made from the pelts of some rare beasts, while the outer covers were woven from celestial silk. In short, they were extravagantly expensive, so much so that Mu Yin hardly dared to touch them and quickly had them placed on the bed.

“She went to attend to some other matters.” Si Lingqing reached out and gently touched Mu Yin’s cheek, asking softly, “Why aren’t you resting?”

“I’ve rested enough these past few days. Now I can’t even fall asleep in bed, so I decided to wait for you to return.” Mu Yin looked at Si Lingqing with a smile that curved her eyes. “If you hadn’t come back tonight, I would’ve asked Hong Zhuang to make me some midnight snacks. She went down the mountain today and brought back a lot of things for me.”

Mu Yin tugged at her and asked, “Want to go take a look in the study?”

Si Lingqing shook her head, declining Mu Yin’s invitation, and placed the Bone string before her instead. “I sent someone to investigate Ah Qin. The results are in. Do you want to hear them?”

Mu Yin glanced at the Bone string, then looked up at Si Lingqing, blinking silently.

The two sat by the table as Si Lingqing relayed Ni Miaoyuan’s findings. After hearing it, Mu Yin took a long time to process the information. Tilting her head, she stared at the Bone string on the table and asked, “You mean, these are all Ah Qin’s own bones?”

Collecting one’s own bones sounded like something wandering souls might do essentially, ensuring one’s remains were complete.

It sounded a bit frightening and was indeed quite eerie. But when Mu Yin thought of Ah Qin’s cheerful smile, she found herself at a loss for words.

“What do you think?” Mu Yin frowned slightly. “If these really are Ah Qin’s own vertebrae, then giving them to her is only fair. After all, she wanted this item in the first place.”

She reached out to take it, but Si Lingqing snatched it away first.

Mu Yin: “?”

Clutching the Bone string in her hand, Si Lingqing said to Mu Yin, “We can’t give this to her.”

Mu Yin looked at Si Lingqing in confusion. “Are you still holding a grudge against Ah Qin? She’s been gone for so long. I don’t think you need to keep such hostility toward her. According to what you said, Ah Qin didn’t do anything wrong it was the emperor and crown prince of the Central Plains at the time who were at fault. She was just protecting her homeland.”

“That was the past version of her,” Si Lingqing said. “Right now, we can’t be sure what she intends to do with this Bone string.”

“What could she possibly do? Just ensure her remains are complete, right?”

“No.”

Si Lingqing lowered her gaze, looking at Mu Yin. “What Ah Qin wants, I suspect, is resurrection.”

Mu Yin froze.

Si Lingqing asked, “The corpse you placed in the back mountain has it started changing, hasn’t it?”

Mu Yin nodded. “Yes. When I checked yesterday, Ah Qin’s complexion had become much rosier. She no longer looked as pale and bloodless as before, almost as if she were just asleep.”

“That must be because she’s regained her heartbone.” Si Lingqing stared at the Bone string in her hand. “If she gets this, she might truly come back to life.”

At this, Si Lingqing’s expression darkened.

If she were an ordinary person or a wandering immortal, why would she care whether Ah Qin resurrected or not? What did it have to do with her, Si Lingqing?

But now, Si Lingqing was the Ghost King. All matters of life, death, and rebirth fell under her jurisdiction. For Ah Qin to resurrect right under her nose, how was that any different from dancing in front of her face?

For both personal and official reasons, Si Lingqing could not let Ah Qin have her way.

Si Lingqing clenched her hand, and the Bone string crumbled into powder in her grasp. With a flick of her wrist, it scattered into the wind, leaving Mu Yin utterly stunned.

Mu Yin: “You!”

Si Lingqing interrupted her, saying, “I’ll handle this matter.”

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, Ah Qin sat atop a protruding boulder in the mountains, cradling a mirror in her arms as she softly hummed an ancient melody no one had ever heard before. Yet, in the next second, her humming ceased abruptly.

The forest in the dead of night was eerily silent, with only the rustling of leaves stirred by the wind. If one didn’t listen carefully, it might have sounded like a crowd whispering secrets.

Ah Qin lifted her head, gazing at the full moon overhead.

She sensed that a part of her body had vanished as if someone had crushed it into dust, rendering it forever unusable.

Who was it?

Ah Qin sat motionless on the rock, her eyelids lowered, her expression inscrutable.

She could now briefly take human form, though she preferred staying in secluded places as she was still unaccustomed to it. Holding the mirror, she pondered for a moment before closing her eyes and vanishing from the spot, the ancient mirror disappearing along with her.

Arriving in the dream courtyard of Mu Yin, Ah Qin tucked away the mirror and slowly pushed open the door.

Creak!

The sound of the door drew the attention of those inside. Mu Yin turned to look at Ah Qin, a flicker of panic in her eyes before she instinctively averted her gaze, only to timidly glance back again.

Ah Qin smiled faintly and stepped inside. “Mu Yin.”

“Ah Qin,” Mu Yin greeted in return. “How have you been these days? Are you doing alright?”

“I’ve been fine. I’ve traveled to many places, even the prosperous Jiangnan region, all far more beautiful than our desert.” Ah Qin walked further in, linking arms with Mu Yin. “Mu Yin, would you like to come with me and see for yourself?”

Mu Yin hesitated before shaking her head. “I still have some matters to attend to here. I can’t accompany you this time. I’m really sorry.”

Ah Qin chuckled. “Why are you apologizing to me?”

Mu Yin froze slightly.

Ah Qin approached the table, eyeing the two used teacups on it. She picked up one and toyed with it absently.

Though Ah Qin could manipulate this dream, it was ultimately Mu Yin’s. The host’s real-world thoughts influenced the dreamscape, and it seemed Mu Yin had been discussing something with someone in her room outside the dream hence the awkwardness, fear, and timidity upon seeing Ah Qin.

Ah Qin wondered if it was Mu Yin who had destroyed her spine.

“Ah Qin!”

Mu Yin watched uneasily as Ah Qin played with the cup Si Lingqing had used. She had never been much of a liar and couldn’t maintain composure in front of the person involved, leaving her visibly flustered now.

She stepped closer and said to Ah Qin, “Let’s go for a walk outside.”

As she spoke, she discreetly glanced at the cup in Ah Qin’s hand, subtly taking it back and placing it on the table.

Ah Qin said nothing, only smiling faintly before taking Mu Yin’s hand and leading her to the stone table in the courtyard where they often sat and chatted.

Tonight’s moonlight was exceptionally bright, casting the courtyard in a silvery glow. The two sat at the stone table, each lost in their own thoughts, until Ah Qin finally broke the silence.

“You lied to me, didn’t you, Mu Yin?” Ah Qin said calmly to Mu Yin. “You actually found that bone string long ago, but when I asked you last time, you told me you hadn’t found it.”

Ah Qin asked her, “Why did you lie to me?”

Mu Yin hadn’t expected her lie to be exposed so easily. Feeling awkward, her gaze at Ah Qin held a trace of conflict and hesitation. She twisted the hem of her clothes silently for a few seconds before speaking. “Ah Qin, can you be honest with me?”

Ah Qin looked at her calmly.

“That bone string was made from your bones, wasn’t it?” Mu Yin asked. “I went to see your remains last time. Your condition has been improving more and more, looking as if you’re just asleep. It makes me uneasy. Ah Qin, do you truly want to be resurrected?”

Ah Qin’s expression darkened as she looked at Mu Yin. “You know everything?”

Mu Yin shook her head. “Not everything. Someone told me about you and about your West Moon Kingdom. They said you hid it using your soul and two magical artifacts.”

Ah Qin laughed and nodded. “Yes, I hid the West Moon Kingdom at the cost of my life. But I didn’t want my bones just for resurrection.”

She gazed at Mu Yin and said, “I just wanted us to be together forever.”

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