Reborn as a Human Cauldron, But I'm the Top - Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Welcome Back She Knows Everything

“Give me your hand.” Song Yin’s face was serious.

Shen Yirong smiled and extended her hand towards Song Yin.

Song Yin frowned, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll harm you?”

“Would the young Immortal do that?”

Song Yin frowned, “Don’t call me that. My cultivation is higher than yours; you should address me as Senior.”

After saying that, she looked at Shen Yirong’s smiling face. She probably couldn’t handle being called “Senior” by this face.

Song Yin pursed her lips, “Never mind. Just call me Immortal Song.”

The topic drifted, and Song Yin felt deeply annoyed. She always wanted to say more when facing this face. She looked at Shen Yirong’s hand, palm up and open—smooth and fair, without calluses from holding a sword, only a faint scar on the finger joint.

Shen Yirong saw Song Yin staring at her finger and smiled again, “I was bitten before, it’s nothing serious.”

This hand was different from the one in Song Yin’s memory. Master’s hand was thin, with sword calluses and scars on the palm, and Master never smiled at her like this person did.

Song Yin scoffed, “You’ve become a vessel, and you can still smile? And was the person who planted the vessel mark on you really me?”

Many vivid emotions appeared on her seemingly serious face: confusion, doubt, guilt, and panic.

At the request of the Sword Venerable, the cultivation world was forbidden from taking vessels, and especially from refining people into vessels. At that time, the Sword Venerable was the foremost person in the cultivation world, and no one dared to object.

But now, the Sword Venerable had been chronically ill for years, and the rules she had set were no longer as effective.

Song Yin did not want her future self to defy her Master’s wish.

Thinking about it, Song Yin’s eyes reddened, but she quickly calmed down, “You still haven’t answered my question.”

Shen Yirong noticed her guilt, “The vessel mark was not planted by Immortal Song. My Master merely shares the same name as you.”

Song Yin couldn’t tell if Shen Yirong’s words were true or false, but she did feel much better.

However, she couldn’t stand to see her Master humiliated, even if the person before her wasn’t her Master, but merely shared a similar face.

She had seen vessels before. In the past, when her Master was still well, she had rescued many people, some of whom followed her into the Great Peace Sect.

Song Yin had conversations with some of them and knew of a way to forcibly remove a vessel mark, though it was risky.

She reached out and tapped Shen Yirong’s forehead. The pure spiritual energy, carrying a wisp of Song Yin’s divine consciousness, drilled into Shen Yirong’s sea of consciousness. It quickly found the butterfly vessel mark at the center of the sea of consciousness. Song Yin controlled her divine consciousness to wrap around the crimson butterfly.

The originally silent crimson butterfly suddenly fluttered its wings, but the chains wrapped around its wings made its flapping seem more like a struggle.

Shen Yirong suddenly felt an intense, splitting headache. She bit her lip and wanted to clutch her head, but Song Yin gripped her hands.

Song Yin’s voice, though cold, carried a hint of softness, “Don’t move. I’m helping you break the mark. If the pain is unbearable, you can bite me.”

Drilling into someone’s sea of consciousness without warning! Shen Yirong really wanted to swear, but not because of the pain she felt, but because Song Yin’s action was too dangerous. The sea of consciousness was a deeply private domain. If Shen Yirong decided to resist, Song Yin would suffer a severe backlash.

Shen Yirong certainly wouldn’t resist, but the pain made it impossible for her to speak. In her blurry vision, Song Yin’s face was surprisingly clear. The scene of Song Yin planting the mark on her constantly flashed in her mind, making her feel that this face from the past merged with the Song Yin she remembered.

Perhaps she should seek revenge and bite the person in front of her hard on the shoulder.

But as she opened her mouth and leaned toward Song Yin’s shoulder, she stopped, simply resting her head there instead.

Song Yin had no time to notice her movement. She found that the vessel mark did not resist her spiritual sense. She bound the crimson butterfly bit by bit, tightening the hold slowly. Fine cracks began to appear on the butterfly’s body.

It can be done!

Song Yin’s eyes lit up. Her head was now covered in beads of sweat, and her breathing became chaotic.

She slowly increased the force. One wing of the butterfly had already shattered. Simultaneously, Shen Yirong felt a wave of relief.

Song Yin seemed truly capable of breaking the vessel mark! To Shen Yirong’s joy, the other wing of the butterfly also shattered.

The vessel mark was broken!

Shen Yirong’s eyes widened slightly. She hadn’t expected it could really be broken, perhaps because the person helping her was also Song Yin.

Shen Yirong was covered in sweat. As the intense pain slowly subsided, she hugged Song Yin directly, “Thank you.”

The embrace was too sudden. Song Yin didn’t know how to react for a moment. Seeing Shen Yirong’s happiness, she didn’t push her away. She wanted to return the hug but ultimately let her hands drop.

Song Yin put on a serious face and spoke righteously, “No need to thank me. If the person who marked you still tries to trouble you, you can send her to me. I will personally deal with her!”

Upon hearing this, Shen Yirong couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Song Yin was puzzled, “What are you laughing at?”

“Nothing, just happy.”

“Cough, cough, cough!”

A sudden burst of coughing startled them both. A figure with a lamp appeared in the darkness, coughing continuously. Shen Yirong looked closely and saw that it was Ling Yingzhi. She looked like she had choked on something, holding a lantern in one hand and vigorously pounding her chest with the other.

Her face was red. She finally managed to swallow whatever was in her throat. Once recovered, she quickly pulled Song Yin away and glared fiercely at Shen Yirong.

“Immortal Song, she already has a partner! Don’t let her deceive you!”

Song Yin’s reaction was even stronger than Shen Yirong’s. Her face burned red, and she hastily denied, “You misunderstood! We were just…”

“Having a secret affair!” Ling Yingzhi quickly interjected, then started listing the evidence, “There are few people here, and the two of you are sneaking around in the middle of the night, even biting each other’s necks. What is that if not a secret affair?”

That posture a moment ago was indeed misleading. Shen Yirong felt it was pointless to explain. She looked at Ling Yingzhi and asked, “Then why is Miss Ling out here in the middle of the night in this deserted place?”

Shen Yirong’s gaze was clear and unassuming, making Ling Yingzhi seem overly agitated.

Ling Yingzhi was a bit annoyed. Shen Yirong had been so anxious a few times before. Was she giving up on the act now?

Ling Yingzhi, who had sneaked out in the middle of the night, hid the remaining piece of steamed bun behind her and then avoided eye contact, “Of course I’m patrolling! I’m worried about demons causing trouble, so I came out to make sure you wouldn’t be eaten by them.”

Shen Yirong saw the half-eaten bun and frowned slightly.

Could the General’s daughter also be short on food? Though, the food today was indeed too plain.

Shen Yirong thought for a moment, searched through her spatial bag, and found a few pieces of dried meat jerky, handing them to Ling Yingzhi, “Here you go.”

Ling Yingzhi’s eyes lit up when she saw it. She struggled with her expression but then closed her eyes and refused, “You are bribing me.”

Just a few pieces of jerky? Is that a bribe?

Shen Yirong couldn’t help but laugh, “Eat it. Consider it a bribe, but don’t mention this to anyone.”

Didn’t that indirectly confirm what Ling Yingzhi was saying?

Song Yin, standing beside her, grew anxious, “There’s nothing going on between us!”

Shen Yirong glanced at her. Song Yin, seeing the exact same look as her Master’s, suddenly lost the ability to argue. She stood obediently to the side, her eyes constantly looking at Shen Yirong.

Seeing Song Yin calm down, Shen Yirong looked back at Ling Yingzhi and smiled, “There’s plenty more, I can give it all to you.”

Hearing that there was more, Ling Yingzhi’s internal struggle deepened. In the end, she failed to uphold her moral standards.

She reached out and took the jerky from Shen Yirong’s hand, “Then it’s settled. This is hush money.”

Shen Yirong took out the remaining jerky from her spatial bag, which made Ling Yingzhi feel embarrassed.

Ling Yingzhi took the jerky but didn’t eat it. Instead, she took a handkerchief and carefully wrapped it up.

Shen Yirong was curious, “Aren’t you going to eat it?”

Ling Yingzhi only said, “I’m saving it for my sister.”

Shen Yirong was momentarily stunned, which indirectly confirmed her suspicion, “Is there a food shortage?”

Ling Yingzhi was somewhat embarrassed. After all, she had bragged about the two-headed horse and introduced the palace earlier, but now she was caught even lacking food.

Pride made her unwilling to lose face in front of the two. So she lifted her head and adopted an arrogant demeanor, “How could that be? You are overthinking it. Didn’t we give you peanut brittle during the day?”

Shen Yirong just looked at her, seeing the panic in her darting eyes, but ultimately didn’t expose her.

However, Ling Yingzhi confessed on her own, “It’s fine to tell you. The demons don’t just eat people.”

Shen Yirong understood.

However, a food shortage wouldn’t affect Shen Yirong. She had brought many spirit-fasting pills, which could also help the people of Central Yue.

Shen Yirong smiled, “Please don’t mention today’s incident to anyone, especially…”

Shen Yirong glanced in the direction of her and Li Xiu’s room.

Ling Yingzhi looked at Shen Yirong with contempt, “Fine, I will keep your scandalous affair a secret.”

Song Yin’s face turned red with anxiety. She had never encountered such a situation in the Great Peace Sect. Seeing Ling Yingzhi leaving with the jerky, she wanted to call her back to protect her pure image.

“Song Yin.”

Song Yin’s body stiffened. The person’s tone and voice were identical to her Master’s. A tingling sensation went down her scalp, and her body involuntarily stopped.

By the time she reacted, Ling Yingzhi had already walked far away.

She could still catch up, but now Song Yin wanted to argue with this person, “I helped you break the restraint, but you are instead damaging my reputation, and also…”

And why is this person so much like Master?

Having been misunderstood repeatedly, Shen Yirong was already numb to it.

At this moment, she could only give a wry smile, “Immortal Song, Miss Ling will only think that I am lusting after you. You are still innocent.”

The word “lusting” seemed to scorch Song Yin’s ears. She silently took a step back and began reciting the Clarity Mantra.

Shen Yirong felt she hadn’t said anything improper, but Song Yin’s reaction was so extreme. It was hard to imagine that the Song Yin of four hundred years later would become that aloof and cold figure.

Once Song Yin calmed down, Shen Yirong said, “I was also afraid Miss Ling might go and make a scene in front of Li Xiu. She is very perceptive. If she becomes suspicious, she might discover that the vessel mark is gone.”

Song Yin had initially considered erasing Ling Yingzhi’s memory, but that technique was ultimately damaging to the soul. She then thought of kidnapping and hiding the person directly, but felt that action was too much like a demonic cultivator.

That Li Xiu seemed very dangerous. Song Yin thought for a moment and suddenly said, “Do you want to come to my room?”

Realizing that the statement was problematic, she quickly explained, “I don’t mean anything else. I just want you to stay far away from that person. She is very dangerous.”

Shen Yirong smiled helplessly, “No need.”

How could Li Xiu allow her to leave her sight?

Now that the vessel mark was gone, the first thing Shen Yirong thought of was escaping. But she had concerns about running alone. After all, there were many demons here, and she was weak now and might not be able to cope.

Shen Yirong considered asking Mei Xin for help.

Song Yin was also pondering. She was wary of the demonic cultivator named Li Xiu but also wanted to help the person in front of her.

There were currently three paths she could take. First, let this person go back and pretend nothing happened, but the fact that the vessel mark was gone would likely be discovered.

But the other person was planning to escape anyway, so what was the point of going back?

Second, let this person go with Mei Xin. With Mei Xin’s strength, protecting one person would not be a problem, but Song Yin inwardly did not want to choose this option.

The third option was for her to personally escort this person out of the Central Yue Kingdom and then give her some artifacts to ensure she wouldn’t die on the way to the Great Peace Sect. She could also go to another sect if she wanted.

In short, this person could not be allowed to go back now. Song Yin belatedly realized she had created a huge problem.

The demon attacks had a pattern, and Song Yin was experienced.

She calculated carefully: using her sword to take the person out wouldn’t take much time. Song Yin had her answer.

She looked up at Shen Yirong, “What is your name?”

“Shen Yi.”

Under the faint starlight, the face that resembled her Master’s smiled softly. The breeze stirred, lifting the long hair behind the other person’s head.

The name, voice, and appearance were all similar to her Master’s.

And Song Yin always felt that this person was constantly paying attention to her. That attention was very unusual, like an elder paying attention to a junior, or like looking at some kind of adorable creature.

Song Yin lowered her eyes, “Your vessel mark is gone. I can take you out of this chaotic kingdom, but you will need to travel the road to the Great Peace Sect alone afterward. What do you think?”

As if afraid Shen Yirong had concerns, she explained again, “I don’t know what the Great Peace Sect is like in your era, but in this era, the Great Peace Sect is a good place for dedicated cultivation.”

“No one will look down on your vessel physique. They only care about whether they can cultivate their swords well. I think you might like it there.”

“If there are truly bad people, tell me, and I can help you.”

Seeing that Shen Yirong still didn’t speak, Song Yin added, “You don’t have to go to the Great Peace Sect.”

Shen Yirong couldn’t clearly see Song Yin’s expression, but she could hear the sincerity in her words.

She hadn’t expected Song Yin to help her, giving her a second option besides Senior Sister Mei.

She suddenly thought of the concept of fate that the system often spoke of. Her fate and Song Yin’s were always intertwined, becoming an inseparable mess.

Now, the Song Yin of the past was inviting her to stay in the past.

If I stay in the past, can I change something?

Song Yin waited a long time for a reply, and disappointment crept into her eyes, “If you are unwilling, you can also go with Mei Xin. Although she is cold, ugh!”

A look of clear disdain appeared on Song Yin’s otherwise serious face, “But you look similar to my Master, so she won’t ignore you.”

Perhaps having been neglected by her Master for too long, Song Yin subconsciously assumed she would be rejected.

Feeling dejected, she closed her eyes, ready to be rejected.

But Shen Yirong’s voice was carried on the wind, bearing an unmistakable smile.

“I will go with you.”

Song Yin suddenly opened her eyes. She looked at Shen Yirong’s expression, trying to find any hint of reluctance on that face, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t find any.

Song Yin lowered her eyes, then the corner of her lips lifted slightly, “Have you thought it through? I am only at the Core Formation realm. I might not be able to protect you.”

Shen Yirong only smiled, “If you can’t protect me, then Immortal Song, please don’t worry about me and escape alone.”

Song Yin was speechless. She summoned her sword, stepped onto it first, and then extended her hand to Shen Yirong, “Hurry up and get on.”

Shen Yirong grasped her hand, and her body felt light as she landed on the sword.

Perhaps because she had just reached the Core Formation realm, her sword-riding was not very stable. Shen Yirong didn’t have time to look at the scenery below, simply observing the young person’s back.

She had ridden on many people’s swords, but this time felt the most different. She even suspected this was another illusion.

She pinched her thigh hard. The real pain told her this was not a dream.

Song Yin noticed her small movement, “What are you doing?”

“…I just feel like this is a dream, and when I wake up, everything will be gone.”

Song Yin thought she was referring to the vessel mark, and comforted her, “This is not a dream.”

Moonlight fell on Song Yin’s hair. Shen Yirong watched for a long time. She suddenly reached out and touched Song Yin’s head. This action, as expected, annoyed the other person.

Song Yin, who had just looked like a transcendental figure, suddenly bristled, “Impudent!”

Shen Yirong spread her palm, her eyes and eyebrows full of innocence, “I apologize. I just saw a leaf.”

A dead leaf rested quietly in Shen Yirong’s palm. Song Yin’s anger instantly dissipated a little.

But her expression was still displeased, “You only needed to remind me. There was no need to personally reach out.”

Shen Yirong chuckled, “Yes.”

Song Yin suddenly felt that she couldn’t handle this person. Normally, if someone acted this way toward her, she would react differently. Perhaps it was because this person named Shen Yi looked too much like her Master.

One Master was already enough to drive her crazy, and now she had brought another one back on herself.

Song Yin felt a headache coming on from all the thinking and simply gave up, concentrating on flying her sword.

The Central Yue Kingdom and the Yuexi Kingdom were very small. Song Yin reached the border in no time on her sword.

Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly heard continuous “cracking” sounds.

The space here suddenly became chaotic and disordered. Shen Yirong saw a tree on the ground that looked like it had been broken in half, and the originally continuous river was displaced, yet the flow of the water remained smooth.

Shen Yirong smelled a strong demonic aura coming from all directions. She heard Song Yin’s surprised voice.

“This fast?”

The demonic aura in the sky was particularly thick. Shen Yirong looked up. The sky was like a curtain, torn open from behind with numerous slits. The moon was also ripped in half.

Countless eyes were peeking at everything below from those cracks.

Shen Yirong heard a tiger roar. A fierce tiger leaped out of a crack in the sky and pounced toward her and Song Yin.

Song Yin drew her sword and split the tiger demon in half. The tiger demon’s body was quickly devoured by the demons surging from the ground until only bones remained.

Shen Yirong looked down and saw the ground covered with dense rats, completely obscuring the snow. The tiger demon’s white bones were still churning among the swarm of rats.

Song Yin drew her sword and chanted a spell. Dark clouds gathered in the sky, and lightning licked the ground. The swarm of rat demons on the ground quickly turned into piles of ashes.

A strong stench came from the left. Shen Yirong turned her head and saw endless seawater pouring out from a tear in the space on the left.

On the right, there was negative energy. Shen Yirong looked and saw many vengeful spirits.

At this moment, she suddenly understood Lu Ci’s helplessness. This situation might not even be resolved by a strong cultivation family.

She drew her sword, intending to help, but the surrounding temperature plummeted. The seawater, the demons, and even the vengeful spirits were all frozen solid.

The snow started falling again in the night, the whiteness chasing away the lightning.

Shen Yirong heard Song Yin scoff, “Someone has come to clean up the mess. I’ll get you out of here first.”

The scene was too terrifying now. Shen Yirong also wanted to stay and help, but remembering her own meager strength, she suppressed the thought.

The long sword suddenly sped up with a whoosh and left the Yuexi Kingdom.

Shen Yirong could only see Mei Xin’s figure becoming increasingly blurred.

“By the way, you look similar to my Master. She might be unhappy seeing you, so you should avoid her.”

Shen Yirong nodded, but what she was thinking was quite the opposite.

She remembered that her past self desperately wanted someone who would talk to her.

The wind and snow behind them grew distant. Shen Yirong suddenly felt something was wrong. The moment they left Yuexi, all wind disappeared, and with the wind, the sounds and smells vanished too.

The surrounding scenery was also pitch black. There was no ground, no sky, only endless darkness.

Song Yin also noticed the anomaly. She had entered the Yuexi Kingdom this way, but now leaving through the same route, she didn’t see the scenery she remembered.

She stopped, thought hard, gritted her teeth, and changed direction, but it was still pitch black.

This bizarre sight suddenly filled Shen Yirong’s heart with panic. She suddenly felt she had misunderstood something.

Song Yin had been paying attention to Shen Yirong’s expression. Seeing the panic in her eyes now, she spoke to comfort her, “Don’t be afraid.”

Shen Yirong’s heart truly settled quite a bit. After a while, she heard sounds again and saw colors once more.

It was like passing through a dark tunnel and finally seeing the world.

But everything in front of her was so familiar. Beneath their feet were the ruins of a palace, and next to the palace ruins was the General’s Residence.

Shen Yirong even saw Ling Yingzhi.

Song Yin’s sword had once again stopped above the General’s Residence. She had been flying in a straight line, so there was no way she should have circled back, yet they had returned here.

What Song Yin hadn’t expected was that this demon attack was more intense than ever. The crack had opened right up to the General’s Residence.

Song Yin cursed under her breath, “D*mn it!”

Song Yin drew the sword at her side. Lightning flared. The demons were startled by the thunder and shrank back. Some even drilled back into the crack, refusing to come out.

This group of demons seemed more intelligent than the previous ones; they weren’t just attacking by animal instinct.

Shen Yirong observed quietly. She thought there must be a leader for this group of demons. She clutched the arrow Qi Wu had given her.

A white fox demon crawled out of the crack. Unlike the other demons that still retained their beast forms, this fox demon had a human face, though the human face embedded in the fox body looked eerie.

The demon opened its mouth and pounced toward a pale, frightened maid by the wall.

Just as it was about to bite the maid’s neck, the maid unexpectedly pulled a dagger from her sleeve and stabbed it directly through the demon’s throat.

It let out a few unwilling roars, then slumped, lifeless.

But this was only one demon. The maid was already surrounded.

Clutching the dagger, she leaned against the wall and stood up, a look of fierce resolve in her eyes.

Just as she was preparing to fight these beasts to the death, the demons surrounding her suddenly began to attack each other.

She looked confused. She looked up and saw a woman in black sitting on the roof. The woman’s lips curved into a faint dimple.

All the demons and vengeful spirits in the General’s Residence lost their minds. They no longer craved human flesh and blood, but instead developed an appetite for their own kind, beginning to devour each other.

Thus, the General’s Residence turned from a human purgatory into a purgatory for these scourges.

Song Yin’s heart sank. She suddenly realized that her judgment was wrong.

At first, she thought this person was similar to Mei Xin, but Mei Xin still needed to draw her sword to face the city full of demons, yet the demonic cultivator before her was merely sitting on the roof.

Just sitting on the roof.

Just then, Li Xiu slowly turned her head to look at them, “Welcome back.”