Reborn as a Human Cauldron, But I'm the Top - Chapter 92

Chapter 92: The Mirror – Look When You Miss Me

The speck of memory light hovered in front of Shen Yirong, pulsating like a heart.

Shen Yirong suddenly felt a pang in her heart, and her entire being resisted, resisted accepting this memory.

The situation was far less simple than she had imagined. She instinctively drifted backward for a moment, then stopped.

She slowly reached out, wanting to touch the memory she had discarded, but just as she was about to reach it, her body was grabbed again.

Shen Yirong fell once more into the embrace filled with the orchid scent. The embrace was tighter than before, and Shen Yirong struggled but couldn’t break free.

The other person looked at her with slightly unfocused eyes, then pointed at the stars in the sky. “Master, stars.”

Shen Yirong reluctantly followed her direction, but was also captivated by the night sky.

In a busy life, the time spent looking up at the stars was becoming less and less. Whether in the modern era or in this world, it seemed she was constantly running.

“Master, what do you think is beyond the sky?”

Shen Yirong replied calmly, “It’s the universe.”

Song Yin was swaying as she walked, and Shen Yirong was constantly worried that she might stumble and crush her again.

Under her nervous gaze, Song Yin stood at the top of the tree. The view was better here, as if she could reach out and pluck a star.

In Shen Yirong’s impression, Song Yin’s face always held a light smile, restrained yet indulgent when she looked at her.

But now it was different. Song Yin under the night sky smiled carefree, as if she had cast aside everything and become the purest child.

She pointed at the brightest star and smiled, “Master, is that you?”

Shen Yirong rubbed her forehead. “If that’s me, then who am I?”

“You are Master.”

“Nonsense.”

Song Yin was delighted to be scolded. “Master didn’t turn into a star.”

Shen Yirong sighed helplessly, “If I had known your tolerance for alcohol was so poor, I wouldn’t have sought revenge.”

“My alcohol tolerance is not bad, really.”

Shen Yirong didn’t want to argue with a drunkard. She wanted to reclaim her memory and return to the Tai’an Sect to retrieve her body, but both matters were stalled because of Song Yin.

She should have been angry, but Shen Yirong realized she held an excessive amount of tolerance for this highly capable Senior Disciple.

She coaxed helplessly, “Yes, your alcohol tolerance is very good.”

Shen Yirong’s perfunctory remark deepened Song Yin’s smile. She laughed and lifted Shen Yirong up.

At this moment, the moon in the sky became Shen Yirong’s backdrop, but Song Yin panicked and put her down again.

Song Yin looked anxiously at Shen Yirong’s expression. “I’m sorry, Master, don’t be afraid.”

Shen Yirong disliked her overly nervous appearance. Although she was currently residing in a puppet, it didn’t mean she was a useless doll.

She was the Sword Venerable, after all.

Shen Yirong frowned, but couldn’t bear to speak harshly, only asking, “What exactly are you nervous about?”

Song Yin flew down from the tree. After landing, she slowly slid down, leaning against the tree trunk. She held the doll in her arms, her voice even more indistinct than before.

Tidying Shen Yirong’s messy hair, Song Yin chuckled, “Master, it’s not high now. No need to be afraid.”

Shen Yirong’s heart skipped a beat. She didn’t even remember this herself.

The moonlight in Shen Yirong’s eyes rippled. She looked up at the stars surrounding the moon and said calmly, “I haven’t been afraid for a long time. You still remember this. Could it be that I became afraid again after losing my memory?”

Song Yin smiled, “A little. Although Master lives high up on the peak, you rarely approach the edge of the cliff.”

Shen Yirong closed her eyes, suddenly recalling a time long ago. Looking back now always brought up many feelings. Shen Yirong smiled, “I was also very afraid the first time I flew on my sword. Elder Yun even mocked me then, saying that a cultivator like me was afraid of heights.”

Hearing her Master mention someone else, the light in Song Yin’s eyes dimmed. She wanted to sulk and make her Master stop talking, but when she looked down, she saw her Master’s nostalgic expression.

Song Yin eventually relented, only saying sourly, “Master and Elder Yun have such a good relationship.”

“Yes, we were a group of idle people back then, gathered together, seemingly without any worries. But time dragged us forward, and everyone’s life began to become full and busy.”

Song Yin: “…”

This wasn’t the answer Song Yin wanted. She endured it, swallowing all that sourness back down.

Having accidentally gotten lost in her memories, Shen Yirong shook her head. She looked at Song Yin’s chin. “What about you? Only you understand me. That’s very unfair.”

Song Yin rubbed her temples, forcing herself to stay awake. “Does Master want to understand me? What do you want to know?”

Honestly, Song Yin was a complete blank slate to the current Shen Yirong, but Shen Yirong couldn’t help but want to get closer, wanting to know everything about the other person, from her birth until now.

Shen Yirong saw her eyes half-closed, looking exhausted, so she didn’t press further.

Song Yin’s eyes slowly closed. Her voice became very soft. “Do you want to know about my childhood? That was a boring time.”

Song Yin’s brows furrowed as she searched her memories. Suddenly, she smiled. “Master, have you ever played with a slingshot?”

Shen Yirong shook her head.

Song Yin’s eyes opened a slit, but slowly closed again. Her speaking voice was even quieter than before.

“The village where I used to live was very remote. Wolf packs would appear from time to time, and sometimes bears would stray into the village. A slingshot was a very useful weapon.”

Shen Yirong was slightly surprised. “Why didn’t you move elsewhere?”

Song Yin’s voice was like still water. “Because of war.”

She didn’t feel sad recalling this past, speaking calmly as if telling someone else’s story. “Humans are no different from wolves and ferocious tigers.”

In her memory, Song Yin actually recalled a childhood wish. She smiled. “I was very naive back then. I thought I would gather a group of people one day and overthrow the chaotic court, letting the surname ‘Song’ rule the land.”

Shen Yirong found this interesting, but after calculating the time, she realized the other person had this idea before the age of twelve.

Hiss! Truly worthy of being her disciple!

Shen Yirong, greatly interested in the aftermath, hurriedly urged, “What happened next?”

Fatigue lowered Song Yin’s voice another notch. “Later, there was an earthquake. I was the only one left in the village. At that point, a slingshot was useless.”

The story took a turn too quickly. Shen Yirong didn’t like this direction.

But Song Yin didn’t continue. She seemed to have fallen asleep, becoming very quiet.

Shen Yirong watched the moonlight sculpt her features, and a pang of heartache slowly arose in her heart.

There was nothing about Song Yin in her memory. Shen Yirong didn’t know if her past self had given Song Yin anything.

The Tai’an Sect was a very frugal sect. When Shen Yirong first embarked on the path of cultivation, she used a wooden sword she had carved herself. Although crude, it at least resembled a sword.

While Shen Yirong was contemplating, she keenly sensed someone approaching. She deployed her spiritual sense to investigate. After seeing who it was, all her vigilance slowly disappeared.

Shen Yirong looked up at the sky. A person stood on a sword, white robes fluttering in the wind. The shadow of a bamboo hat covered the upper half of her face, and two swords hung from her waist.

Shen Yirong greeted her with a smile: “Senior Sister, long time no see.”

Mei Xin lifted the bamboo hat. Her pale blue eyes shimmered. She nodded. “I’m here to pick you up.”

Shen Yirong was, of course, happy to go, but she quickly noticed Mei Xin’s second sword. She looked around, not sensing the presence of anyone else, so she stared at that sword again.

She asked, “Where is Elder Yun? Didn’t she come with you?”

Mei Xin’s eyes flickered again. “She came.”

Shen Yirong couldn’t find anything even with her spiritual sense, so her gaze fell on that sword once more.

Seeing Shen Yirong so concerned, Mei Xin drew out the half-broken sword.

Looking at the broken sword, which lacked any spiritual aura, Shen Yirong’s pupils contracted.

The broken sword was lifeless; its owner had passed away.

But this sword was Elder Yun’s Natal Sword.

Shen Yirong’s smile became strained. “This sword is a replica, isn’t it?”

Mei Xin returned the sword to its sheath. “No. This is Master’s Listening Rain.”

Shen Yirong suddenly clutched her head, and the light speck of memory in Shen Shuci’s hand pulsed violently.

Some memories flashed in Shen Yirong’s mind.

She saw Yun Huiming covered in blood, her usually cheerful face full of cold indifference. She raised her sword and pointed the tip at her favorite disciple.

The rest, Shen Yirong couldn’t recall.

She only remembered that she wasn’t the only one there; there should have been someone else. She clearly remembered that person was right beside her, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember.

However, the feeling of despair at that time traveled through space and acted upon her now. She felt as if her soul was curled up in pain.

“Junior Sister, what’s wrong?”

Mei Xin was suddenly in front of her.

Shen Yirong slowly calmed down, breaking free from the suffocating feeling.

After a long sigh, Shen Yirong suddenly lost the energy to recall anything.

Shen Yirong’s mind was blank. She said wearily, “It’s nothing.”

Mei Xin looked at the drunken Song Yin and the quiet little golden figure beside her. She raised an eyebrow. “Is this Junior Sister’s pet?”

The pet naturally referred to Shen Shuci. She already disliked Mei Xin, and now her aversion intensified.

“Who are you calling a pet!”

Seeing the little golden figure speak with Shen Shuci’s voice, Mei Xin’s eyes were filled with confusion. She tried to approach, but Shen Shuci immediately dove into Song Yin’s sleeve.

Shen Yirong quickly explained, “She’s not a pet. She is, she is my daughter.”

Shen Shuci, who was sulking, was immediately mollified. She slowly tucked the memory back into her body, no longer bothering with the other matter.

But Mei Xin was more interested. “Can I touch your daughter?”

Shen Yirong immediately refused. “No. Senior Sister, please take us back to Tai’an first.”

Mei Xin found it a bit regrettable. She wasn’t the type to force things, so she obediently nodded. “Mm.”

Saying that, Mei Xin hoisted Song Yin over her shoulder like a sack of rice, then prepared to fly on her sword.

Shen Yirong was disheartened, but seeing this scene, she still reminded her, “That’s not very proper.”

Mei Xin thought for a moment. “Junior Sister is right.”

Mei Xin swiftly put Song Yin down, then rummaged through her spatial ring, pulling out a rope.

She tugged at the rope to ensure it was sturdy, then walked towards Song Yin.

Shen Yirong’s pupils contracted. She shielded Song Yin. “What are you doing?”

Mei Xin tilted her head. She immediately tied Song Yin up, swiftly made a knot, then tied one end of the rope to the tail of her sword.

“This is proper.”

Shen Yirong looked at Song Yin, who was suspended in mid-air, and somehow thought she resembled a watermelon bound in a nylon net.

Waking up, Senior Sister Mei’s thought process was still so bizarre. Wouldn’t this be even more embarrassing?

Shen Yirong refused again, “No.”

This was the first time Mei Xin had been a subordinate. She thought carefully, then suddenly remembered the method Master used to use.

Mei Xin blurted out, “Then I’ll carry her?”

Shen Yirong immediately grew anxious. “No!”

But after saying it, she felt it was wrong, as if she was deliberately making things difficult. So she awkwardly added, “Sorry, do as you like.”

Mei Xin didn’t understand, but the smart person thought of a solution. “Then I’ll use a technique to hold her up.”

Shen Yirong thought that was acceptable. She nodded.

Song Yin knew none of this. When she woke up, she was already at the Tai’an Sect, back in the bed she used to sleep in.

The room’s furnishings were unchanged, only some things were missing. Thanks to Song Yin the robber, those missing items were now in the Demon Palace.

The small wind chimes by the window tinkled softly, playing a tune with the leaves outside.

Song Yin got up and found that her clothes had been changed to the Tai’an Sect disciple attire. Looking at the faded cuffs, Song Yin realized this garment was the one she had worn back then.

She opened her spatial ring, somewhat puzzled. In a corner of the space, an identical garment was neatly hanging.

When Shen Yirong entered, she saw Song Yin staring blankly at the space. She spoke up, “What are you looking at?”

Song Yin closed the space. She asked, slightly concerned, “Did Master help me change my clothes?”

Shen Yirong sat on the desk, looking at her. “Yes.”

When they returned here last night, she found Song Yin’s clothes were a bit dirty. Shen Yirong originally didn’t want to bother, but then she inexplicably opened the spatial ring, where an old set of clothes lay.

Using her wooden puppet body, Shen Yirong struggled to put the clothes on Song Yin, finally realizing they fit perfectly. Clearly, this garment was Song Yin’s from the past.

But this clothing was clearly made by the Fox Demon.

Shen Yirong felt there was a story here. Judging by the spiritual energy on the clothes, the garment hadn’t been made long ago; it was obviously deliberately made to look old.

Shen Yirong had wanted to ask about her old friend, but she opened her mouth and finally didn’t dare.

While she was lost in thought, Song Yin had already tidied herself up.

Shen Yirong looked at her excited face, and some of the gloom in her heart was dispelled. She sighed. “You’re certainly happy.”

“Mm. With Master by my side, everything is fine.”

Shen Yirong felt her attachment, but this attachment made her feel a little afraid. “What if, I’m not here?”

Song Yin’s smile slowly faded. “Then I will wait for you to come back. No matter how long the wait, I will wait.”

Shen Yirong had never encountered such intense emotion. She occasionally felt the affection of others, but none were as intense as Song Yin’s.

She sighed. “Let’s go. You should be more familiar with this place than I am.”

Song Yin was even happier. She happily imagined their time alone, but she celebrated too soon.

Mei Xin saw the two walking out side-by-side. She seemed to understand what envy felt like.

Mei Xin ignored Song Yin’s murderous gaze. “Follow me, both of you.”

Iron chains were installed between the peaks of the Tai’an Sect. Thick chains connected the two peaks, a nightmare from Shen Yirong’s youth.

Her gaze followed the direction of the chains to the peak opposite.

The morning mist was thick, and the silhouette of the Myriad Swords Peak was visible and hidden in the sea of clouds.

Shen Yirong lowered her eyes. She sat on Song Yin’s shoulder, her thoughts wandering.

They easily crossed the iron chains, seeing the swords within the mist clearly.

Mei Xin led them all the way up, finally reaching the peak. The wind on the peak scattered the mist. A broken sword without a hilt stood alone, positioned annoyingly right in the middle of the path.

The blade was transparent, and the sunlight passing through it cast colorful shadows on the ground.

Shen Yirong recognized it as Yun Huiming’s sword. This person was causing trouble even after death.

Shen Yirong wanted to make a few witty remarks, but the words caught in her throat. She couldn’t say them, and the smile on her lips turned bitter. “She really did die.”

Mei Xin shook her head. “Master is not dead.”

Shen Yirong just assumed she couldn’t bear the shock and chose to evade the truth.

Seeing Shen Yirong’s sad expression, Mei Xin surprisingly offered comfort. “She’s not dead. She’s by my side.”

Shen Yirong wanted to persuade the other person, but felt that telling the truth was too cruel. It was better to maintain the current state.

The wind by her ear seemed to blow much more fiercely. Shen Yirong felt very tired. She burrowed into Song Yin’s sleeve. “Where is my body?”

Mei Xin nodded. “Follow me.”

It was still the same place as last time. Shen Yirong looked at herself lying in the ice coffin. She drew her soul out of the puppet, then intended to return to her original body.

But when she touched the coffin lid, she was bounced back.

Shen Yirong’s expression darkened. She didn’t try again, instead analyzing what was wrong with the coffin.

After careful study, she found it was a spell specifically designed to block souls and spiritual entities.

Shen Yirong looked at Mei Xin beside her. “Senior Sister, what’s going on?”

Mei Xin almost turned to look at Song Yin, but she forced herself to stop under Song Yin’s voice transmission.

She didn’t want to lie, so she gave a different answer. “I can’t say.”

Shen Yirong was extremely frustrated. She tried a few more times, all ending in failure.

Finally, she sat down on the coffin in distress. She thought for a moment, then suddenly jumped up. “I have it.”

She re-entered the puppet body, then pulled out spirit stones from her spatial ring to set up an array.

Shen Yirong set it up intently, neglecting the other two people in the room.

Song Yin and Mei Xin exchanged a glance, then silently retreated outside.

Their relationship wasn’t as bad as before. Song Yin looked at the sword on Mei Xin’s waist, then at the bamboo hat on Mei Xin’s head.

Suppressing the subtle discomfort in her heart, Song Yin was about to speak, but Mei Xin interrupted her. The other person was always quick to start.

Mei Xin said, “Junior Niece, she has forgotten you again.”

Such a statement was truly piercing.

But the other person was a block of wood. Being angry at wood was meaningless.

Song Yin wasn’t anxious. “What about you? Did you find the person?”

Mei Xin shook her head. She was somewhat confused. “Sometimes I can sense a bit in the wind, but it feels like an illusion.”

Song Yin looked at the sword on Mei Xin’s waist again, then retracted her gaze. She took out a jade token from her spatial ring.

She had taken this jade token from Shen Yirong.

Once opened, the jade token began to tremble.

“What’s going on! How do they seem to know our actions?”

“There’s an inside traitor! D*mn it, who is it!”

“Did anyone escape?”

“No, they are trapped dead in the Demon Palace.”

“Stop! Don’t use this to communicate anymore!”

A smile appeared on Song Yin’s face as she watched the jade token gradually fall silent.

This thing was indeed convenient, but it was useless now.

Song Yin put the jade token away, then took out another item. It was a mirror made of crystal.

Mei Xin glanced at it. “All-Seeing Mirror.”

“What All-Seeing Mirror?”

Shen Yirong flew out from behind. She flew onto Song Yin’s shoulder and sat down. When she saw the mirror in Song Yin’s hand, her eyes were full of surprise.

“How is this mirror in your hands?”

The All-Seeing Mirror could change its size. Song Yin shrunk the mirror and gave it to Shen Yirong. “This is yours.”

Shen Yirong held the mirror, puzzled. “Mine? Shouldn’t this be a treasure of the Heaven’s Secret Pavilion?”

Song Yin didn’t want to say too much. “The Heaven’s Secret Pavilion gave this to you.”

Shen Yirong didn’t quite believe it. She looked at the mirror, finally saying seriously, “This is the ultimate treasure of the Heaven’s Secret Pavilion. I’ll hold onto it for now, and return it to Su Zhao when I see her later.”

Shen Yirong suddenly paused. She asked cautiously, “Is Su Zhao still around?”

Mei Xin answered, “Yes, she is still the Pavilion Master of the Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.”

Shen Yirong breathed a sigh of relief, but the subsequent smile was forced. “That’s wonderful. I thought they had all left.”

Song Yin couldn’t help but frown. Knowing Mei Xin wasn’t very good at talking, she interjected, “Master, have you found a way to break the spell?”

Shen Yirong looked at her puppet body. “It’s a bit complicated, but tomorrow at the latest.”

Thinking that she could get rid of the puppet body tomorrow, Shen Yirong forced herself to smile. “However, this body is severely damaged. I’ll have to ask Valley Master Bai for help afterward.”

Shen Yirong’s state was clearly not right. Her smile was stiff, and her eyebrows would unconsciously furrow.

Staying on the Myriad Swords Peak was probably not good for her.

Song Yin summoned her sword, stepped onto it without a word, and took off. By the time Shen Yirong reacted, they were already far from Myriad Swords Peak.

Because Song Yin had scooped her up into her arms, Shen Yirong felt no discomfort. She remembered this was the way back.

Soon, she heard the call of the immortal cranes.

When they landed, the plump cranes all gathered around. Shen Yirong originally wanted to feed them something, but for some reason, the immortal cranes scattered as if they had seen a ghost.

Shen Yirong sensed something, looked up, and saw Song Yin’s ice-cold, threatening eyes.

But when Song Yin met her gaze, the ice and snow in her eyes quickly melted, turning into a gentle, breezy spring day.

Shen Yirong was greatly shocked. “Are you jealous of the immortal cranes?”

Song Yin chuckled lightly, “No. I’m just helping them lose weight.”

A clumsy excuse.

Normally, Shen Yirong would laugh, but now she couldn’t. She forced a smile, but seeing Song Yin look at her with eyes full of distress, her fake smile slowly faded.

She opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to ask something, but finally chose silence.

Song Yin took the All-Seeing Mirror back from Shen Yirong.

After infusing spiritual energy, the image in the mirror continuously changed. The mirror displayed the Tai’an Sect in various time periods.

In the rapidly flashing scenes, Shen Yirong saw many versions of herself from different periods.

She also saw others.

At that time, there was only a small dilapidated hut on this high peak. She had deliberately made it look old and simple to project the image of an expert.

Although the room was shabby, the people who came to see her were never few.

Sect Master Liu, crying and looking for a fight; Yun Huiming, bringing Senior Sister Mei to challenge her; Su Zhao, bringing her daughter…

The scene continued to shift. Finally, the small shabby hut on the peak transformed into its current luxurious appearance.

A girl wearing a white headband was practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard.

She was practicing only basic movements, but repeating them many times.

After practicing until she was drenched in sweat, the girl finally put down her sword.

She took a pastry from a package on the table, sat on a stone stool, and quietly took a bite, revealing a satisfied smile.

Shen Yirong looked at Song Yin. Song Yin was also looking at her.

Song Yin was smiling, the smile identical to the one in the mirror.

She said, “Anyone Master wishes to see will be there.”