Mistress of the Underworld and Her Little Celestial Wife - Chapter 99

Two pairs of feet soaked in the warm water. Mu Yin wiggled her toes and leaned comfortably against Si Lingqing’s shoulder, sighing contentedly, “Life should be this simple and joyful.”

Si Lingqing didn’t find much joy in soaking feet, but seeing Mu Yin’s delighted expression, she stayed and kept her company.

After about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Mu Yin began to feel drowsy. She had been busy all day either conjuring Magic fungus for the disciples of the Valley of Clarity or running up and down staircases. Now, barely after nightfall, she was already yawning repeatedly.

“Tired?” Si Lingqing asked.

“Mmm,” Mu Yin murmured lazily, her eyes closed. “Sleepy!”

Si Lingqing picked up the nearby towel, dried Mu Yin’s feet, then tucked her into the inner side of the bed. Sitting cross-legged at the foot of the bed, she asked, “Want me to massage your legs?”

Mu Yin nodded and lay back.

Si Lingqing gently kneaded Mu Yin’s toes, now tinged pink from the warm water, then worked her way up to the stiff calves, applying the techniques she remembered.

At first, Mu Yin watched as Si Lingqing diligently massaged her feet, but soon, lulled by the familiar scent of the pillow, she drifted off to sleep.

When Hong Zhuang arrived and was about to knock, she sensed a faint barrier of spiritual power.

Si Lingqing’s voice came from inside, “She’s already asleep. Whatever it is, talk tomorrow.”

Hong Zhuang blinked, belatedly realizing something, and awkwardly led her companions away.

In the dream.

Mu Yin groggily woke up in bed, puzzled by the bright daylight outside.

Had she slept that long?

Why was it so bright already?

But soon, she realized this was a dream, not reality.

“Again?”

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Mu Yin glanced around, this was her bedroom, so familiar she could navigate it blindfolded. Listening carefully, she heard no strange sounds. After slipping on her shoes, she stepped outside and was greeted by an unnaturally clear sky.

Mu Yin frowned. Had the sky in her dreams always been like this?

The sunlight seemed almost alive, and in the distance, layers of clouds drifted with the wind.

She reached out, feeling a faint, cool breeze brush against her palm and lift her long hair.

The dream was moving.

Mu Yin’s brow furrowed. This wasn’t how it used to be. In her memories, everything in her dreams had been static, trapped in an enclosed space. But now, the dream was coming to life.

Like something lifeless slowly reviving.

As she pondered this, she noticed a figure walking along the stone path toward the courtyard gate.

Dressed in a bright yellow robe, radiant as the sun, the woman carried an ancient bronze mirror as she stepped into the courtyard.

“Ah Qin?”

Mu Yin watched her approach and asked, “Where have you been all this time? After Si Lingqing threw you out, you weren’t in any danger, were you?”

Ah Qin hugged the ancient mirror and laughed, her liveliness reminiscent of a little fox: “No, after she threw me out, I did think about going back. But considering she might just throw me out again, I decided to hide instead. That’s why I’m only coming to find you in your dreams now.”

Mu Yin breathed a sigh of relief, reassured to see that neither Ah Qin nor the mirror showed any signs of damage.

The two sat beneath a tree in the courtyard. Mu Yin watched as the leaves rustled in the wind, occasionally shedding two or three golden leaves that drifted down to land on the ground and the stone table.

This dream was becoming more and more like reality.

Noticing Mu Yin’s observation, Ah Qin chuckled softly and asked, “Do you like it?”

Mu Yin turned to her, puzzled. “What?”

“The scenery here,” Ah Qin said, glancing around. “I’ve visited many places these past few days forests, lakes, misty little towns. But I still love this brilliant sunshine the most. It makes me feel as if I’m still alive.”

Mu Yin couldn’t help but study Ah Qin a little longer, only to find her gazing back.

Ah Qin smiled and slowly raised her hand. A raindrop soon landed on her slender, pale finger, and the sky abruptly darkened as wind and rain swept in.

“Wind or rain,” Ah Qin said, “I love everything in this world.”

The rain poured down, yet strangely, the area where she and Ah Qin sat remained dry.

Beyond the pattering of raindrops, the pond even echoed with the croaking of frogs.

Though this was Mu Yin’s dream, she felt it slipping further from her control.

The rain ceased as quickly as it had come, giving way to dusk, then night, with stars wheeling across the sky.

Mu Yin frowned slightly. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Ah Qin was showing off to her.

As night fell, lanterns lit up the courtyard, casting light over the stone table before Mu Yin.

Having displayed her abilities, Ah Qin waited expectantly for praise, only to find Mu Yin deep in thought, her brow furrowed.

“What’s wrong?” Ah Qin tilted her head. “Don’t you like seeing me grow stronger?”

Mu Yin shook her head. “It’s not that.”

Ah Qin grinned. “Exactly. The more power I have, the more I can control. If I find that Bone string, I think I’ll become even more formidable.”

Mu Yin immediately looked up at her.

Ah Qin was hinting at something.

“The Bone string…” Mu Yin frowned. “I haven’t found the buyer yet. There’s been a lot going on lately.”

“Well, it’s not your fault,” Ah Qin said reassuringly. “You can take your time. I’m in no hurry. Staying in this mirror isn’t so bad though I do wish I could have a physical form.”

Ah Qin’s eyes sparkled as she gazed at Mu Yin. “When that happens, you’ll stay with me every day, won’t you?”

Mu Yin smiled silently but said nothing.

Ah Qin chatted on about her experiences inside the mirror, sharing all the places she’d visited over the past two days.

Finally, Ah Qin said to Mu Yin, “I won’t be able to visit your dreams often from now on. If you find the Bone string, wait for me to come to you.”

When Mu Yin awoke, the sky was still dark.

Lying in bed, she stared blankly at the dark canopy overhead.

“What’s wrong?”

Mu Yin was startled by Si Lingqing’s voice suddenly coming from beside her pillow.

“Why aren’t you asleep?” Mu Yin turned her head to look at Si Lingqing lying sideways on the bed, gazing at her with bright eyes. The clarity in those eyes told Mu Yin she hadn’t been sleeping at all.

Sitting up in bed, Mu Yin asked, “What time is it?”

Si Lingqing also sat up, reaching out to light the candle stand in the room. “Dawn will break in another hour,” she said.

Mu Yin hugged her knees in silence.

Noticing this, Si Lingqing asked curiously, “What’s wrong?”

“I had a dream,” Mu Yin murmured, lowering her eyes. “I dreamed of Ah Qin.”

Si Lingqing’s pupils darkened, and she remained quiet for a long moment before finally asking, “What did you talk about in the dream?”

Mu Yin tapped her head, recalling the dream’s events, and recounted everything to Si Lingqing in detail.

“You obtained the bone string?” Si Lingqing frowned. “You never mentioned this before.”

Mu Yin looked at her, then took out the bone string from her storage bracelet and placed it before Si Lingqing.

“I went back in time and bought it while leaving a message for Senior Sister Ni,” Mu Yin said, staring at the pale bones. “Somehow in the dream, I didn’t tell Ah Qin the truth. She’s becoming more and more like a living person now, which makes me, somewhat uncomfortable.”

Mu Yin couldn’t quite describe the feeling, just an unease in her heart, as if things were unfolding in directions she couldn’t predict.

Ah Qin’s beaming smile was indeed beautiful, but it frightened Mu Yin.

Looking at the bone string in Mu Yin’s hand, Si Lingqing said, “You did the right thing. Her powers are gradually recovering she can’t have this bone string.”

“Then what should we do with it?” Mu Yin asked.

“Give it to me,” Si Lingqing said. “I’ll find a way to investigate.”

Mu Yin thought Si Lingqing was far more capable than herself, and keeping the bone string with her would be safer. So she placed it in Si Lingqing’s hand and asked, “How do you plan to investigate?”

Si Lingqing replied, “I have my ways.”

Holding the bone string, Si Lingqing transformed into a wisp of black smoke and vanished. Mu Yin sat on the bed, staring at the spot where Si Lingqing had disappeared for a long time, wondering where she had gone.

As dawn gradually broke, Mu Yin prepared herself. By the time Hong Zhuang arrived, she was already sitting in the courtyard absorbing the spiritual energy of nature.

Seeing Mu Yin up so early, Hong Zhuang exclaimed in surprise, “Young Mistress, why are you practicing so early today? Shouldn’t you rest more?”

Mu Yin said, “Once I woke up, I couldn’t sleep anymore. Might as well get up and practice more.”

During her months at the Valley of Clarity, Mu Yin had developed good habits of early sleep and early rising. She also felt her body becoming much lighter, believing that soon she might even achieve grain avoidance.

Not having to eat would not only save money but also time, allowing her to do more of what she wanted.

After breakfast, as the sun rose, Mu Yin set down her chopsticks and said to Hong Zhuang, “Come with me to the back mountain later.”

Hong Zhuang looked at her in confusion. “What are we going there for?”

Mu Yin replied, “Just come with me.”

Leaving the courtyard and heading towards the back mountain, the number of people along the path dwindled until there were almost no disciples of the Five Skandha Sect within the back mountain’s territory, only steep and winding mountain trails remained.

Hong Zhuang helped Mu Yin up a steep slope and couldn’t help but ask, “Where is the young mistress? I haven’t seen her since this morning.”

“She went to attend to other matters,” Mu Yin replied after catching her breath, then looked toward the entrance of the Cold Pond in the distance and said to Hong Zhuang, “Let’s go in.”

Hong Zhuang nodded and followed Mu Yin inside.

The deeper they ventured into the cave, the colder it became. Eventually, Hong Zhuang had to circulate her inner energy to resist the biting chill, her brows furrowing. “Young Madam, why is this place so cold?”

Mu Yin also felt the cold, exhaling a faint white breath. She remembered that when she last came here, it hadn’t been nearly this frigid.

The two reached the deepest part of the cave and found that the banks of the Cold Pond had frozen over with a layer of ice, crackling underfoot with each step.

Mu Yin found it strange. She gazed at the red coffin deep within the Cold Pond and said to Hong Zhuang, “Give me a hand. Let’s bring Ah Qin out.”

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