Mistress of the Underworld and Her Little Celestial Wife - Chapter 96

Early the next morning, Gongsun Ru arrived at the courtyard with Yan Wan and the others.

Mu Yin had already risen early, washed, and finished her breakfast. Noticing Gongsun Ru’s arrival, her eyes darkened slightly. She glanced back at Si Lingqing, who was sitting nearby basking in the sun, and exchanged a look with her.

“Miss Yin.”

“Gongsun Mr.”

Mu Yin stood up and greeted her before leading Gongsun Ru to a seat nearby, pouring her a cup of tea. “This is the herbal flower tea often enjoyed in the Five Skandha Sect. Please see if it suits your taste.”

Gongsun Ru glanced at the emerald-green tea and remarked softly, “The aroma is exceptionally refreshing. It must be excellent tea.”

“But,” Gongsun Ru shifted the topic, addressing Mu Yin, “no matter how fine the tea, we must still discuss the matter at hand.”

Mu Yin smiled awkwardly. “Naturally.”

Gongsun Ru glanced at Si Lingqing and asked, “Will Miss Si not join us?”

“No need,” Si Lingqing replied, leaning against the wall with her eyes closed as she soaked up the sun. “You two can discuss it yourselves.”

Seeing Si Lingqing’s indifferent attitude as if the matter had nothing to do with her Gongsun Ru said nothing more. Instead, she waved her hand, and a scroll appeared on the stone table. Unfurling it, Mu Yin saw that it was unmistakably a contract.

“What is this?” Mu Yin asked curiously. She had expected an inventory list, not a contract.

“This is an agreement,” Gongsun Ru explained. “You may review the terms while I explain them.”

Mu Yin took the scroll and began reading.

Gongsun Ru continued, “Most of the cultivators in our Valley of Clarity are Medicine Cultivators. The majority of our income is devoted to disaster relief and sheltering orphaned girls. The few Sword Cultivators we have are not particularly skilled. Over the years, the Valley of Clarity has survived solely due to the natural mist barriers surrounding it.”

“The Five Skandha Sect is renowned for its Sword Cultivators. Therefore, we request that you assign one of your Sword Cultivator elders to the Valley of Clarity for six months to teach our disciples cultivation techniques and swordsmanship. Additionally, we need a master of formations to construct a sturdy defensive barrier for our valley. Furthermore, when the Thousand-Person Realm opens next, we demand half of the magical artifacts obtained by the Five Skandha Sect specifically, those I select.”

Gongsun Ru looked at Mu Yin and added, “We will not demand monetary compensation, as you, Young Madam, have already donated forty million taels, which is enough to sustain the Valley of Clarity for two years.”

After reviewing the contract, Mu Yin found that the terms matched Gongsun Ru’s explanation.

Hong Zhuang frowned and spoke up, “Gongsun Mr., assigning a Sword Cultivator elder and constructing a barrier are reasonable requests, but half of the artifacts from the Thousand-Person Realm is excessive. Is that mirror truly worth so much?”

Some of the Valley of Clarity disciples nearby grew displeased and retorted, “What do you mean ‘worth so much’? If it weren’t for you, how could the mirror have been lost in the first place?”

Just as Hong Zhuang was about to respond, Mu Yin tugged at her sleeve to stop her.

Mu Yin turned to Gongsun Ru and said, “Gongsun Mr., at most, I am merely the Five Skandha Sect’s Young Madam. Some matters are beyond my authority. Please allow me some time to discuss this with my parents and seek their opinion.”

Gongsun Ru nodded. “That is only natural. However, the valley will be sealed today. If you, Young Madam, do not wish to remain in the Valley of Clarity until next month, please give us your answer by evening.”

Mu Yin nodded in acknowledgment.

After Gongsun Ru left with her entourage, Yan Wan stayed alone in the courtyard. She glanced at Mu Yin and Si Lingqing before saying to Hong Zhuang, “Since you’re leaving today, let’s step out for a chat. Give your young mistress and the young lady some space to discuss matters.”

Hong Zhuang frowned. “Why should I talk with you?”

Raising an eyebrow, Yan Wan pulled her toward the courtyard exit. Though puzzled and unable to break free, Hong Zhuang had no choice but to follow her out.

Watching Hong Zhuang leave, Si Lingqing turned to Mu Yin, who was still gazing after them, and asked, “What are you looking at?”

“Nothing much.” Mu Yin finally withdrew her gaze and smiled at Si Lingqing. “I think Hong Zhuang might be falling in love.”

Si Lingqing cast a glance in the direction where Hong Zhuang and Yan Wan had disappeared and calmly replied, “You’re overthinking it.”

Mu Yin didn’t argue. Instead, she shook the scroll in her hand and said, “We need to discuss this with Father and Mother. I can’t decide alone. Before we left, Mother gave me a magical artifact that allows long-distance communication. You’ll have to join me.”

Si Lingqing frowned reluctantly. “Why do I have to be there?”

Mu Yin simply looked at her steadily.

Si Lingqing: “Fine, I’ll come.”

Only then did Mu Yin smile. “That’s more like it. You should listen to me, my preparations are never wrong.”

Pursing her lips, Si Lingqing crossed her arms and said nothing.

Yu Luo had given Mu Yin a plain-looking jade stone. By channeling spiritual power into it, one could connect with its paired counterpart. Once the other party also infused their spiritual power, they could communicate.

Though convenient, such artifacts were rare and expensive, making them inaccessible to ordinary cultivators, who typically relied on message-bearing talismans or incense burners talismans for spoken messages and incense burners for written ones burned in transmission.

As spiritual power flowed into the jade, it hovered midair, and Yu Luo answered almost immediately.

When the image appeared above the jade, Mu Yin instinctively turned to look at Si Lingqing beside her.

Si Lingqing had shed her earlier nonchalance. Her dark eyes fixed intently on Yu Luo’s image, her throat tightening slightly.

“A-Yin?”

Yu Luo had been about to ask why Mu Yin had contacted her when she noticed Si Lingqing beside her. The item in her hand clattered to the ground with a sharp crack.

Si Lingqing watched silently as the woman she had called Mother for 19 years covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face.

Yu Luo stared in disbelief. She never imagined her daughter, dead for half a year, would now sit calmly beside Mu Yin, meeting her gaze.

“Ah Qing, is it really you?” Yu Luo stepped closer, reaching out as if to touch Si Lingqing’s face, but her fingers passed through the spiritual projection, grasping nothing.

“It’s me.” Si Lingqing remained composed as she spoke to Yu Luo. “Mu Yin and I are facing some trouble in the Valley of Clarity. We need your help.”

The moment Yu Luo heard this, she hastily wiped her tears with a handkerchief and exclaimed, “What trouble? Ah Qing, don’t act recklessly! I’ll have your father come for you right away!”

Si Lingqing shook her head. “No need for such trouble. We’ll return naturally once the matter is resolved. For now, we just need you and Father to hear the Valley of Clarity’s demands.”

Yu Luo wore a puzzled expression and turned to look at Mu Yin.

Mu Yin gave an awkward chuckle before explaining, “Mother, here’s the situation. We accidentally lost one of their ancient magical artifacts at the Valley of Clarity. Now they’re demanding compensation these are the conditions they’ve listed. Let me read them to you.”

After hearing the conditions proposed by Gongsun Ru, Yu Luo fixed her gaze intently on Si Lingqing and said, “I can agree to the first two conditions right away. As for the third, I’ll need to discuss it with your father first.”

She looked at Si Lingqing with gentle warmth in her voice. “Ah Qing, once the Valley of Clarity matter is settled, return to the Five Skandha Sect. I’ll be waiting for you here.”

Si Lingqing met Yu Luo’s gaze and, after a long silence, gave a slight nod.

After ending the communication, Mu Yin put away the jade stone and asked Si Lingqing, “Have you thought about how to explain your resurrection to your parents?”

Si Lingqing remained silent.

Mu Yin studied her for a moment, then sat beside her and patted the back of her hand with a soft smile. “It’s alright. No matter what reason you give, I’ll back you up.”

Si Lingqing looked at Mu Yin and asked, “You’re not angry anymore?”

Mu Yin was puzzled. “When was I ever angry with you?”

Si Lingqing smiled faintly and grasped Mu Yin’s fingertips. “Good, as long as you’re not angry.”

Mu Yin turned her head away uncomfortably, waiting for Yu Luo’s reply.

Soon, the jade stone glowed again. When Mu Yin channeled her spiritual power into it, the images of Yu Luo and Si Muzhou appeared.

Si Muzhou was equally stunned to see his daughter, though his reserved nature kept his reaction more subdued than Yu Luo’s. Still, the fervent joy in his eyes was unmistakable. Seeing his daughter returned from death, he was willing to agree to almost any condition, let alone a mere half of their magical artifacts.

“I’ll arrange for this immediately,” Si Muzhou said to Mu Yin and Si Lingqing. “Once it’s settled, return home at once.”

After putting away the jade stone, Mu Yin turned to the impassive Si Lingqing and asked curiously, “Why are you so indifferent even when seeing your own parents? You didn’t even smile.”

Was she just not the smiling type?

Throughout the entire conversation, Si Lingqing had sat there like a statue, leaving Mu Yin to do all the talking. Yu Luo’s eyes had practically been glued to her daughter, yet Si Lingqing showed no reaction whatsoever.

Mu Yin couldn’t help but wonder if Si Lingqing truly lacked emotions.

Si Lingqing merely glanced at her, stood up calmly, and said, “Why should I smile? We came here to settle a matter. Now that it’s done, we just have to wait.”

Mu Yin watched as Si Lingqing turned and walked into the courtyard, feeling that something wasn’t right.

Did death strip people of all emotion?

If Si Lingqing was like this even with her own parents, would she be the same with Mu Yin?

The thought sent a sudden chill through Mu Yin’s heart, leaving her uneasy.

From the moment they contacted the Five Skandha Sect to the arrival of Nian Tan and the others at the Valley of Clarity, barely two hours had passed.

Hong Zhuang was surprised to see her master and rushed over joyfully. “Master! What brings you here?”

Nian Tan reached out and patted her disciple’s head before turning to Mu Yin and saying, “Young Mistress, the Sect Leader and Madam have sent me to escort you and the Eldest Miss back.”

The disciples of the Five Skandha Sect stared wide-eyed at the living Eldest Miss standing beside Mu Yin. Though they had long known about Si Lingqing’s resurrection, seeing her in person still shocked them.

Mu Yin nodded slightly and smiled, asking, “Thank you for your hard work, Elder Nian.”

Hong Zhuang hopped excitedly and asked, “Master, master, are you here to teach at the Valley of Clarity? Will you be instructing them in swordsmanship for half a year? Aren’t you coming back with us?”

Nian Tan looked at her and said, “Did you not understand a single word I just said?”

Hong Zhuang: “?”

Nian Tan replied, “Someone else will be teaching swordsmanship to the Valley of Clarity disciples. My only task is to oversee the setup of the barrier formation and then escort the Young Mistress and Eldest Miss back to the mountain sect.”

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