Reborn as a Human Cauldron, But I'm the Top - Chapter 86

Chapter 86: Confession, Memory

The mirror showed many versions of herself—unfamiliar and familiar. Shen Yirong walked forward, and every step was her past.

She didn’t know why she was here, but at the end of the path, there was a version of herself sitting with closed eyes on a lotus platform. The platform was tightly surrounded by densely packed swords.

The Sword Venerable sat in meditation on the lotus platform with her eyes closed.

Facing a strange and completely different version of herself was a peculiar feeling. Shen Yirong had seen her before, in a portrait.

The swords around the lotus platform hummed due to Shen Yirong’s arrival. In the places Shen Yirong walked, the swords would awaken.

The person on the lotus platform did too. She opened her eyes, and the chilling, inviolable aura around her faded considerably. She looked at Shen Yirong, who had arrived before her, then smiled faintly and spoke those words.

“Long time no see.”

Looking at the face that was identical to hers but filled with sorrow, Shen Yirong suddenly felt a tightness in her chest.

The humming of the swords grew stronger. Shen Yirong covered her ears. When she opened her eyes again, she had awakened from the dream.

“Host, you’re awake?”

Shen Yirong turned her head to look. Shen Shuci was sitting on her pillow.

She looked around but didn’t see Song Yin. “Where is Song Yin?”

“Asking about her the moment you wake up,” Shen Shuci glanced at the weak host. “She’s fine. She’s waiting for someone.”

Shen Yirong slowly sat up, leaning against the bed in a daze.

Seeing her like this, Shen Shuci instantly panicked. She extended a golden thread onto Shen Yirong’s wrist, but found no problem other than the physical depletion.

Shen Yirong was still thinking about the dream. “Long time, no see.”

Shen Shuci was startled. “What did you say, Host?”

Shen Yirong repeated, “Long time no see.”

“Host, did you remember something?”

Shen Shuci’s tone was urgent and fearful. She looked up at Shen Yirong, forgetting to retract the golden thread.

Shen Yirong shook her head. “No, I just dreamt it.”

Shen Shuci relaxed. She said seriously, “Host, forget about those things.”

Shen Yirong wanted to, but the dream was stubbornly etched in her mind. To avoid worrying anyone, she smiled and said, “Okay. Where’s Song Yin?”

Shen Shuci: “…In the discussion hall with Liu Qianfeng and others.”

Shen Yirong nodded. She lifted the covers, ready to walk out, a smile of excitement on her face.

Shen Shuci burrowed into her sleeve, poking her head out to look at her expression. “Where are you going, Host? Your body is not suitable for moving around.”

Shen Yirong put on her shoes. “To the discussion hall.”

Shen Shuci was annoyed. She simply retreated into Shen Yirong’s sleeve, ignoring her, but after a moment, she poked back out.

Looking at Shen Yirong’s smile, she asked, “Host, do you feel very happy right now?”

Under the shadow of a cloud, Shen Yirong’s smile was a different kind of heavenly light. She nodded softly. “Mm.”

Shen Shuci had already compromised. She shifted into a comfortable position and lay down. “As long as the Host feels happy.”

Shen Yirong felt a little guilty. She had gone back on her promise to return to the modern world with Shen Shuci.

“I’m sorry. I promised something I couldn’t deliver.”

Shen Shuci rested her round head on her hands, swinging her legs crossed. “No need to apologize, but if you want to go back, I will definitely help you.”

She then added grudgingly, “After all, Song Yin is quite reliable.”

Shen Yirong was amused by her. “You admit it?”

Shen Shuci was lost in confusion. “I don’t know, but the longer I stay with her, the closer I feel. Could she have secretly implanted some program in me?”

Shen Yirong thought she was being fantastical. “How could that be? She’s a person of this era, after all.”

Shen Yirong had already reached the door of the discussion hall. Looking up at the grand plaque, she felt emotional.

She remembered being cautious the first time she came here. Now, she only felt composure.

Before she could speak, the door opened from the inside. Song Yin walked out and supported her.

Song Yin asked softly, “Why didn’t you sleep longer?”

Sleep more? To be honest, her waking time was much shorter than her sleeping time.

Shen Yirong shook her head. “Sleeping gives me a headache.”

Liu Qianfeng, who was about to greet her, immediately stopped. She struggled with the reputation of the Tai’an Sect, looked up to see Shen Yirong smiling, and finally just sighed in helplessness.

Shen Yirong was very happy to see Liu Qianfeng. “Sect Master.”

Even though she had a myriad of emotions, in front of Shen Yirong, Liu Qianfeng smiled. “You made me worry for nothing. You owe me compensation.”

Shen Yirong and Song Yin sat side by side. There were only three people in the room, and Liu Qianfeng felt out of place.

She couldn’t help but complain, “Why is it like this again?”

Shen Yirong was puzzled. “What’s wrong?”

Liu Qianfeng sighed lightly. “Nothing, just reminded of someone.”

Not wanting to dwell on the issue, Liu Qianfeng rummaged through her spatial ring. She had intended to give some money, but after searching, she realized her small treasury was empty.

Liu Qianfeng felt embarrassed. She quietly withdrew her hand, pretending nothing had happened.

Shen Yirong missed the Tai’an Sect very much. Now that things were clear, she wanted to go back and see.

To see if the cranes on her peak were truly thinner from hunger.

She asked excitedly, “Sect Master, I want to go back and see.”

Liu Qianfeng’s mood instantly brightened. “Sure, the Tai’an Sect hasn’t forgotten you.”

Liu Qianfeng sighed. “The Tai’an Sect is getting quieter.”

Song Yin watched their conversation. She carefully concealed the emotions in her eyes, but Shen Shuci noticed them anyway.

“You don’t like it, do you?”

Song Yin looked at Shen Yirong’s smiling face: As long as she is happy.

Perhaps the bright moon should hang high.

Suddenly, Song Yin smiled. She turned to look at the window. The flow of the wind there was unnatural, as if blocked by something.

This stealth ability is truly powerful. She wondered how long the person had been watching.

Bai Yuzan’s scalp tingled from the scrutiny. She had followed the instructions on the jade tablet all the way here.

She had expected a lot of trouble, but the journey was smooth and unimpeded, with no one encountered except for the necessary barriers.

But she trusted Liu Qianfeng. The other party couldn’t possibly be conspiring with Song Yin to trick her, and this jade tablet was special—not something easily altered.

Yet, why were these three chatting so peacefully here?

Bai Yuzan had a bad feeling. She cautiously took out her jade tablet and sent a message to Liu Qianfeng.

“What’s your situation?”

Liu Qianfeng, deep in conversation, didn’t notice at all.

Bai Yuzan was frantic. She was afraid that using voice transmission would reveal her presence.

She stared intently at the back of Liu Qianfeng’s head, hoping she would notice, but the other person continued chatting.

The jade tablet in her hand suddenly vibrated. Bai Yuzan glanced at the tablet.

Liu Qianfeng: It’s as you see it.

Bai Yuzan froze. She looked at Liu Qianfeng, who was still talking, and at the same time, she felt a playful gaze on her.

She stiffly looked towards the source of the gaze. Song Yin was looking at her, a half-smile on her face.

She found me!

No, she shouldn’t have. Her stealth technique wasn’t that easy to break.

Bai Yuzan, Bai Yuzan, don’t scare yourself.

As Shen Yirong chatted, she also felt something wasn’t right with the wind. Remembering Shen Shuci saying they were waiting for someone, she asked, “Who are you waiting for?”

Song Yin withdrew her gaze. “We are waiting for Valley Master Bai.”

Shen Yirong’s face lit up with joy. “Oh, in that case, I don’t need to go to the Medical Immortal Valley to find her.”

Song Yin’s eyes deepened. “She asked you to go find her?”

“Mm. I asked her to repair the All-Encompassing Mirror. She seemed very reluctant to come to the Demon Palace.”

Shen Yirong looked at Song Yin. “What did you do to her?”

Bai Yuzan, eavesdropping, recalled bad memories. She tensed up, then heard Song Yin’s calm explanation.

“Nothing much. I just asked the Fourth Protector to entertain her well.”

Liu Qianfeng immediately grew angry upon hearing this. “You tortured her!”

Song Yin looked at Bai Yuzan and smiled. “No. It’s just that she couldn’t tolerate the Fourth Protector’s personality.”

Bai Yuzan started sweating all over. Song Yin wasn’t lying. During her time in the Demon Palace, she was indeed treated with good food and drink.

However, the Fourth Protector, who was guarding her, was mentally and physically unwell. She couldn’t help but try to treat her.

But the Fourth Protector not only ignored medical advice but also played with fire when her mental state was poor.

Bai Yuzan watched the other person’s injuries worsen and almost fainted from exasperation.

Liu Qianfeng didn’t know these details. She didn’t believe Song Yin’s words, but she couldn’t defeat her, so she could only let out a cold snort and glare fiercely at Song Yin.

Song Yin elegantly stood up, walking step by step towards the window. Bai Yuzan’s heart rate accelerated in tandem.

But Song Yin merely closed the window, then sat back down and held Shen Yirong’s hand in her palm.

“Your hand is so cold.” Song Yin’s eyes were full of concern.

In front of others, Shen Yirong was thin-skinned. She pulled her hand free and coughed. “It’s not cold. So, when will Valley Master Bai arrive?”

Liu Qianfeng actually hoped the person wouldn’t come. Song Yin was different from before. She seemed to understand the world better.

Although she still felt hostility, Liu Qianfeng admired the other person’s talent. Even in that era of frequent geniuses, Song Yin was absolutely the undisputed number one.

Liu Qianfeng felt a strong sense of defeat, similar to how she desperately tried to stop her Senior Sister and the others from stealing wine, but failed despite her best efforts.

Thinking of the deceased, all her emotions turned into melancholy. Her voice was weak. “Who knows? She was always the last one to arrive at gatherings.”

Shen Yirong had seen similar fragments in her dream just now. In the memory, everyone was gathered, and smiles hung on every face.

It was a strange yet familiar memory.

Shen Yirong smiled and said, “Yes, she was the laziest among us back then. I was always fighting, and every time I was injured, she would scold me as a troublemaker.”

Shen Yirong spoke freely, but then realized that everyone present was staring at her, their faces showing varying degrees of panic.

Song Yin even gripped her hand tightly. “You remembered?”

Shen Yirong quickly shook her head, then nodded. “I had some memory fragments in my dream, but not all of them. What’s wrong?”

Song Yin’s frown did not deepen upon hearing this, but she quickly recovered her smile. “Nothing. Just a little worried.”

Everyone shared this worry. They were all worried about her recovering her memory. What exactly was in the memory she discarded?

Every one of them is acting strange.

Shen Yirong didn’t think she was that fragile. How could someone who could become the Sword Venerable be so fragile?

So, she frowned and chose to ask directly, “What exactly is in my memory that makes you all so secretive?”

Everyone fell silent.

Finally, Song Yin broke the silence. Her low voice was filled with her own resentment. “Because there were many people in your past, but the time I met you was so short. I don’t want you to remember.”

What kind of devilish statement is that?! And in front of an elder!

Shen Yirong’s toes curled in embarrassment, but she was definitely placated. She lightly patted the back of Song Yin’s hand. “Don’t say such things in front of others.”

Song Yin just looked at her. “Is Master not angry?”

Why is this person so insistent on getting to the bottom of things!

Shen Yirong didn’t know how to answer. She glanced at the Sect Master. Seeing her look of utter disgust, she quickly straightened her posture.

She secretly used voice transmission to Song Yin.

“I’m not angry, but you need to be restrained. Elder Liu is old and can’t handle such stimulation.”

Song Yin’s expression softened. She looked at Liu Qianfeng’s face, which was crumpled like a steamed bun, and smiled. “I will heed Master’s teaching.”

Liu Qianfeng finally couldn’t bear the affectionate display between the two of them. If there were more people, it wouldn’t feel so awkward, but now she was the only one in the room who felt redundant.

She simply stood up, her face cold. “I’m going out for a walk.”

The ferocious Demon Venerable smiled courteously. “Sect Master, please do.”

Liu Qianfeng felt like she had been stabbed, but there was nothing she could do. Perhaps the feng shui of the Tai’an Sect was problematic. From her Senior Sister to her Junior Nephew, and now her Junior Nephew’s apprentice, they were all strangely obsessed with romance.

The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became. She lifted her leg and stepped out the door. Before she could take another step, a white ball of fluff approached her.

The white cotton ball circled around her leg, squatting beside her and watching, as if waiting to be fed.

Is this a dog or a winter melon.

Liu Qianfeng was speechless for a moment. She walked past it, heading to the left. Bu Hei happily trotted along after her.

With Liu Qianfeng gone, Shen Yirong sighed in relief. She said seriously, “In the future, don’t be… like that in front of others.”

Song Yin knew she was shy and deliberately asked, “Like what? Your disciple does not understand. Please enlighten me, Master.”

For some reason, every time Song Yin called her Master, Shen Yirong’s face felt incredibly hot.

She didn’t feel this way when Song Yin called her that four hundred years ago. Back then, Song Yin was so respectful.

But now, when the other party called her Master, her voice always had an upward inflection. It wasn’t to seek guidance at all; it was more like an eagerness to undress her good Master.

Shen Yirong glared at her. “You rebellious disciple!”

That insult seemed to satisfy Song Yin. She leaned closer, looking at Shen Yirong with shining eyes. “Mm.”

Mm what?

Shen Yirong was angered into laughter. She reached out and pinched Song Yin’s nose. “You really are something.”

Song Yin, pushing her luck, lay down on Shen Yirong’s lap and, even more presumptuously, grabbed Shen Yirong’s hair.

And the Master said nothing, only looking at her with a helpless yet tolerant gaze.

This kind of scene was actually happening in reality.

Song Yin had never dared to imagine it before. She sighed. “Master.”

This time, the word ‘Master’ was used very formally. Shen Yirong replied, “What do you want to say?”

Many negative emotions had surfaced in these eyes of Song Yin. Despair and violence had once ravaged the world within them.

But now, they were filled with the reflection of one person, with no room for anything else.

Over these four hundred years, Song Yin had considered many possibilities for their reunion.

She hadn’t expected her Master to be so different from the person in her memory after reincarnation, nor had she expected her Master to feel sorry for her.

Song Yin sighed gently. “It’s good that you don’t dislike me.”

Shen Yirong heard a lot in that sentence. To hide the complex emotions stirring within her, she asked half-jokingly, “What? If I disliked you, would you force me to love you?”

Song Yin just looked at her, her gaze deepening.

Shen Yirong was startled.

Could this person really have thought that way?

Suddenly, it became something that the moral and legal authorities would not allow. Shen Yirong couldn’t help but pull at Song Yin’s face. She only felt better after twisting the other person’s face into a grotesque mask.

Thank goodness. She’s still the adorable, simple-minded disciple, not a female ghost.

However, Shen Yirong’s relieved expression still made Song Yin overthink.

Song Yin, enduring the redness on her cheeks from the pinching, stubbornly asked, “Does Master not like that version of me?”

Oh dear! Look at that look. The female ghost is back.

But it was wrong to deceive her, so Shen Yirong decided to seriously consider the question.

She stroked her chin and posed a question. “If you were that version of yourself, what would you do to me?”

Now it was Song Yin’s turn to be stunned. Her lips trembled slightly. She seemed stumped by the question.

After serious thought, she gave a sinister smile. “I would lock you up.”

Mm, a small dark room. A very common trope.

Shen Yirong asked, full of curiosity, “And then?”

Song Yin hadn’t figured out what came next. She had only thought of the first step and couldn’t think of anything after that.

So, after a moment of consideration, she gave another sinister smile. “Then I would hang wind chimes all over your room and drive you crazy with the noise.”

Shen Yirong: “…That’s it?”

Song Yin truly couldn’t think of anything else. “Then what did Master think I would do?”

Shen Yirong recalled some shocking novels she had read in her previous life. “I thought you would break my legs so I couldn’t run away.”

Song Yin grew anxious. “No!”

Shen Yirong thought again. “Or lock me in a dirty, smelly, cold prison, give me no medicine when I got sick, and feed me spoiled food.”

Song Yin was shocked and angry. “Who would dare!”

Shen Yirong wanted to say more, but seeing that Song Yin seemed unable to handle it, she stopped. “So, why would I dislike you?”

Song Yin paused, then suddenly got up and embraced Shen Yirong’s neck. Taken by surprise, Shen Yirong leaned forward, their foreheads touching.

Immediately, there was Song Yin’s kiss and Song Yin’s spiritual power.

Song Yin was always very careful when treating her. Even in a kiss, she didn’t dare to be forceful, and she would often fall into a passive role despite initiating it.

Shen Yirong was not as reserved as she was in front of others.

The atmosphere was intimate.

But someone quietly crumbled.

Bai Yuzan slowly covered her eyes, unable to comprehend the situation. She hadn’t tested any medicine recently, nor had she been tempted to eat any strange poisonous mushrooms.

But was this reality? Wasn’t she here to rescue someone?

Why is the person I’m supposed to rescue kissing Song Yin?

Liu Qianfeng’s situation was also very strange. Shouldn’t being caught by Song Yin be a near-death experience? Why could she still wander around the Demon Palace?

So awkward.

Bai Yuzan felt a little overwhelmed. She once again concealed her breathing, then slowly walked towards the outside.

Just as she was about to flee through the door, she saw an unidentified golden object fly out of Shen Yirong’s sleeve.

After the golden object appeared, the two people in the room became well-behaved.

Shen Yirong covered her flushed face.

She forgot someone else was present.

Shen Yirong suppressed the urge to jump into the water to calm down. She kept reassuring herself.

Anyway, only one person saw it. It’s fine, it’s fine.

Shen Yirong moved a little further away, coughing lightly. “Do we still need to keep waiting?”

Song Yin pressed her fingers to her lower lip, snapping back to attention when she heard Shen Yirong’s voice. She smiled. “Mm. It should be soon.”

That “soon” was quite unsettling. Waiting here was very boring.

Shen Yirong summoned wind to wrap around her fingertips, then used the wind to blow Song Yin’s hair, watching the way her headband fluttered.

It reminded her of when Song Yin first appeared in her memory, her hair divided into two strands tied with ribbons on both sides. She looked a bit like a lop-eared rabbit, and when the ribbons fluttered, they looked like butterflies.

But the other person was just Song Yin, someone so stubborn that not even a few oxen could pull her.

When the ribbons fluttered, they obscured Song Yin’s eyes. Shen Yirong smiled. “You look like someone from the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion now.”

Hearing the words “Heavenly Mystery Pavilion,” Song Yin sneered. “I would never become those charlatans who constantly talk about fate.”

“I will never yield to fate.”

Shen Yirong laughed softly. Her eyes, looking at Song Yin, were filled with admiration and pride. “Mm, because you are Song Yin.”

Song Yin, however, looked at her. “Those words, you taught them to me.”

Song Yin’s expression was very serious, but Shen Yirong couldn’t find that memory.

She shook her head. “I know you are good to me, but don’t place all the good things solely on me.”

Song Yin didn’t speak. She thought of the Shen Yirong in her memories. The decade or so she spent with her Master was too short, insignificant compared to that lost memory.

If her memory returned, would Master revert to that cold and distant self? Would she become unimportant?

Thinking of this, Song Yin was deeply panicked.

She grabbed Shen Yirong’s hand, gripping it tightly.

She said, “If Master recovers her memory and becomes the Sword Venerable, will Master think I am inconsequential?”

Shen Yirong genuinely felt her panic and once again realized how important she was in the other person’s heart.

So, Shen Yirong squeezed her hand back. “No. You will always be my most dazzling memory.”

Shen Yirong smiled and caressed her face. “The days I spend with you are always happy. Look, we have a very long future ahead. I will walk a very, very long path with you, a path that surpasses the past.”

“We will experience one season after another, see all the scenery, and travel all the mountains and seas.”

“Our lives will be inseparable.”

The fresh breeze blew in from outside, settling in their hair.

Shen Yirong hadn’t expected to reach this point. She reached up to wipe away the tears at the corners of her eyes, but her touch was too heavy, making the area around her eyes red.

“Hehe.” She was amused by her own clumsiness.

“I didn’t think I would ever say something like this.”

Shen Yirong turned her head to look out the window, just as she had in her past life. Only then, it was due to the bitterness of constrained freedom and going against her true heart, while now, the joy was simply too overwhelming.

Taking several deep breaths, Shen Yirong watched the wind rustle the trees outside the window.

After her mood slowly calmed down, Shen Yirong’s voice resonated with the wind. “Song Yin, I’ve always been running away, but now I can give you a clear answer.”

Song Yin was already intoxicated by the preceding words. Anticipating what she might hear next, she nervously held her breath.

“I love you. Not the love between Master and disciple, and not because I pity you.”

“Song Yin, I love you. The love between lovers.”

Shen Yirong felt much lighter after saying it. But she immediately felt Song Yin’s suffocating affection.

The embrace was so tight.

The distance between their heartbeats was so close. Song Yin was responding to her. “Me too.”

Shen Yirong patted Song Yin’s back and smiled. “So, are you reassured now? Don’t dwell on so many bad endings.”

Song Yin still didn’t let go. She held her for a long time before releasing her.

The volatile Demon Venerable’s face was bathed in sunlight. It seemed sunny days would be more frequent now.

“Master, go back to your room to rest first. I can wait alone.”

Shen Yirong felt that wasn’t right, but she yawned again and started feeling sleepy.

She nodded vaguely, stood up, and walked to the doorway. Leaning on the door frame, she turned back.

Rubbing her eyes, Shen Yirong’s memory became muddled.

The Song Yin before her slowly became younger and more disheveled in her eyes. The other person looked indifferent, holding a slingshot in her hand.