Mistress of the Underworld and Her Little Celestial Wife - Chapter 103

“I just want us to be together forever.”

Ah Qin’s words left Mu Yin momentarily stunned. She had sensed that Ah Qin harbored some special feelings for her, but she never expected the other to voice them so directly.

Mu Yin awkwardly turned her head away and said, “You should know, Si Lingqing and I are already married.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Ah Qin replied. “I’m willing to wait. Besides, I can tell she doesn’t truly value you.”

Mu Yin’s heart clenched. She turned back, staring at Ah Qin in surprise.

Resting her chin on her hand, Ah Qin smiled and said, “You must have noticed it too. Si Lingqing loves no one, she’s heartless by nature.”

Mu Yin shook her head. “No, I believe she does have feelings for me.”

“Do you really think so?” Ah Qin countered. “Si Lingqing has no heart. If she had to choose between you and something else, who do you think she’d pick?”

Mu Yin frowned, staring at Ah Qin without a word.

Ah Qin continued, “Then let me put it another way. If your life were at stake, do you think she’d kill you?”

When Mu Yin woke from the dream, the sun was already high in the sky.

A few birds chirped noisily on the eaves, basking in the morning sunlight as they preened their feathers. Some fluttered over to the windowsill, hopping about and occasionally tilting their heads to peer at Mu Yin lying in bed, their tiny black eyes blinking curiously.

Mu Yin noticed the space beside her was empty Si Lingqing had disappeared again.

Sitting up in bed, she spaced out, recalling Ah Qin’s words in the dream.

If your life were at stake, do you think she’d kill you?

Mu Yin thought to herself, Si Lingqing seems to like me well enough surely she wouldn’t kill me? Still, she had already made up her mind. If it ever came down to a life-or-death choice, she was willing to give up her own life.

Looking back on when she first arrived in this world, Mu Yin had only wanted to live carefreely, enjoying food, fun, and leisure in the Five Skandha Sect for the rest of her life. Yet barely a year had passed, and she was already facing such dire choices.

Rubbing her temples in frustration, Mu Yin felt she needed a break.

When Hong Zhuang entered the room, she found Mu Yin sitting blankly in front of the vanity, the hair ornaments laid out untouched. She even wondered if the young mistress had skipped washing her face, just staring into the mirror.

“What are you looking at, Young Mistress?” Hong Zhuang teased. “Is your reflection really that captivating?”

Hearing the playful tone, Mu Yin turned to glance at her and chuckled. “You’re always teasing me. What’s so special about my own face?”

As she combed Mu Yin’s hair, Hong Zhuang said, “No need to be modest. Everyone knows the young mistress of the Five Skandha Sect is a beauty. With the news of the eldest young lady’s revival, the whole sect has been flocking here just to catch a glimpse of you both.”

“Tell them not to make a fuss,” Mu Yin said. Then she asked, “Where’s Si Lingqing? I haven’t seen her since morning.”

“I haven’t either,” Hong Zhuang replied, gathering Mu Yin’s long hair and securing it with an ornate golden hairpin. She admired the reflection in the mirror. “See how lovely this pin looks on you, Young Mistress?”

Mu Yin examined it and had to admit, it did add a touch of elegance.

Hong Zhuang picked out a pair of pigeon-blood ruby earrings for Mu Yin, added some other decorative hairpieces, then pulled out a pink embroidered golden floral dress set from the cabinet and helped Mu Yin change into it.

“Why am I dressed so brightly today?” Mu Yin asked, looking at her red-and-green adorned reflection in the mirror.

“Now that the young mistress has come back to life, there’s no need for the young madam to keep wearing those black and white mourning clothes anymore,” Hong Zhuang said with satisfaction. “Someone as young and beautiful as the young madam should wear these pink and white outfits to look even more charming!”

“Is it really as exaggerated as you say?”

“Young madam, just trust me on this. Would I lie to you?”

After finishing Mu Yin’s makeup and dressing, Hong Zhuang brought over the morning meal, a steaming basket of freshly made pork dumplings and a bowl of mixed grain porridge.

After a year of cultivation, Mu Yin’s appetite had significantly diminished. Though she hadn’t yet achieved full grain avoidance, the effects were gradually showing. It wouldn’t be long before she could begin proper grain avoidance training.

Mu Yin only ate two dumplings before feeling full, though she finished the entire bowl of porridge, leaving her stomach pleasantly round.

Even after the meal, there was no sign of Si Lingqing. Mu Yin wanted to discuss last night’s events but had no way to contact her.

In the study, Mu Yin took out a mirror and mobilized all the little mushrooms across Five Skandha Sect’s mountain to help search for Si Lingqing, yet that familiar black silhouette remained nowhere to be found. With a sigh, Mu Yin set the mirror down.

Oh well. She’d just have to wait until Si Lingqing returned to talk about the dream.

Mu Yin stared blankly at the book in her hands. Though she recognized every character and read each word, none of them seemed to register in her mind.

Si Lingqing! Did she truly not care for her?

Propping her head on one hand, Mu Yin realized that throughout their year together, Si Lingqing had indeed remained cold and distant outside their intimate moments. She never initiated affection, if Mu Yin didn’t make the first move, Si Lingqing would rather bask in the sun.

Mu Yin wasn’t entirely sure what loving someone should look like, but having watched many dramas, she felt certain it shouldn’t be as detached as Si Lingqing’s behavior.

Theirs had been an arranged marriage between complete strangers no prior acquaintance, let alone affection. Mu Yin wasn’t even from this world to begin with, so how could there be any genuine feelings?

Yet Ah Qin’s words lingered like a knot, twisting uncomfortably in Mu Yin’s heart.

Would Si Lingqing really abandon her for other matters?

Mu Yin shook her head, trying to dispel these chaotic thoughts. Right now, she needed to find Si Lingqing urgently. Who knew where that woman had disappeared to vanishing without a trace like some elusive spirit.

Because of Ah Qin’s matter, Mu Yin dared not venture anywhere. She could only stay obediently in their small courtyard, trying to occupy herself with whatever tasks she could find.

Soon, she discovered a new storybook and settled at the desk to read with rapt attention.

At the Cold Pond in the back mountains, the previously still water surface suddenly bubbled, the echoes reverberating through the quiet cavern.

The next moment, a barefoot figure entered the cave.

Though it was Ah Qin’s first time in these caverns, she wasn’t confused by the winding passages. Each step carried a layer of chill beneath her feet.

She approached the pond’s edge and looked down at the bright red coffin submerged in the water, her eyes darkening.

‘Gurgle!’

As the bubbles grew increasingly dense, the heavy red coffin suddenly floated to the surface. The cave echoed with the splashing of water and the sound of the coffin bumping against ice formations on the water’s surface, a muffled yet ethereal resonance.

Ah Qin remained motionless, calmly watching as her coffin drifted toward her. She slowly raised her hand, and as she did, the coffin lid lifted into the air. When the coffin reached the shore, it was inexplicably pushed up, wedging between the water’s edge and the bank without moving further.

The Ah Qin inside the coffin looked even more rosy-cheeked than when Mu Yin had last seen her, and her chest now rose and fell with visible breaths though the intervals between them were so long that one might miss them without careful observation.

Ah Qin looked down at herself, as if gazing at a reflection on a lake, the two versions of herself inverted and brought together.

The Ah Qin inside the coffin slowly opened her eyes. Clad in that red Wedding Gown, she lay quietly in the coffin, gazing up at the cave ceiling where dappled water reflections shimmered. Her lashes fluttered softly.

As Ah Qin sat up, the red Wedding Gown began to peel away. The phoenix hairpin atop her head fell into the coffin, and the jewels adorning the luxurious red robe scattered like stars. Where she had lain, white night-blooming cereus flowers unfurled one after another.

By the time Ah Qin stepped out of the coffin, the once-vibrant red robe had lost its splendor, though the golden threads embroidered into the fabric remained, lending it an air of lingering nobility.

Ah Qin adjusted her sleeves and took step after step, leaving the cave behind.

The back mountain was rarely visited, and outside the cave lay a serene, verdant landscape. Ah Qin, still wearing the red Wedding Gown, walked along the mountain path until she came across a small hut where disciples rested during herb-gathering excursions. She entered, changed into a suitable Five Skandha Sect disciple robe, and pinned up her long black hair with a jade hairpin before stepping out again.

The closer Ah Qin got to the front mountain, the more disciples she encountered. They passed her in small groups, and though a few cast curious glances at her distinctive Western features, no one questioned her identity.

At the lively sect gates, Ah Qin saw disciples chasing and laughing, and the bustling crowds around the academy.

These vivid, living beings were something Ah Qin hadn’t seen in a long time.

In Mu Yin’s dreams, Ah Qin had indeed known of this place, but seeing it through another’s memories had always felt like peering through a haze. Now, standing here, the wind and sunlight were real and so were the people.

“Senior Sister,” Ah Qin called out lightly to a disciple carrying a stack of books. “Could you tell me how to get to the Young Mistress’s courtyard?”

Without hesitation, the disciple pointed up a path. “Follow that road to the Sect Leader’s residence area. The Young Mistress lives there, you can ask others for directions once you arrive.”

Ah Qin already knew the way to Mu Yin’s place. She had only wanted to test whether anyone would respond to her.

Pleased with the answer, Ah Qin smiled brightly. The disciple nodded back before continuing on with their books.

Watching the figure disappear into the crowd, Ah Qin turned to look at the path leading up the mountain. With a light heart, she set off.

Meanwhile,

Mu Yin was still in the study, reading today’s Storybook, a collection of eerie tales resembling the ghost stories from Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. The chilling narratives made her skin crawl.

Speaking of demons, Mu Yin couldn’t help but recall a story she had once read, The Fisherman and the Demon.

When the demon was trapped in the bottle, he had sworn that if anyone freed him, he would repent, bestow wealth upon them, and grant them three wishes. Yet no one ever released him, so the demon made another vow.

“If someone saves me, I will kill them.”

Mu Yin thought back to the demon’s words in the story, then remembered the myth of Pandora’s Box from Greek mythology. She wasn’t even sure anymore whether she should have agreed to Ah Qin’s request in the first place.

With a long sigh, she closed the book before her and sensed someone entering the study.

Mu Yin looked up to see Ah Qin, dressed in disciple robes, smiling as she waved at her and said, “I’ve come for you.”

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