Upon Her Lips - Chapter 16

Chapter 16

You Ran wrapped one of the pieces of bread in paper and handed it to the creature. She knew this “thief” had been trying to steal the food from her bag earlier. This was a gift from Mr. Han Sheng; fearing that searching for the flowers would take a long time, she had brought two as emergency rations.

“Only… can give… give one. For you. Me too,” You Ran said, giving the slightly larger piece of bread to the strange creature and keeping the smaller dry ration for herself.

The creature looked at the food, then at the girl. Tentacles emerged from its jaw to probe the paper bag. Before its hunger-induced digestive fluids could leak, it swallowed the offering whole in one gulp—inedible paper bag and all.

You Ran froze, watching the beast eat so savagely. Her expression was hard to describe; she wanted to tell it the bag shouldn’t be eaten, but since it was already down, she remained silent.

A moment later, the creature with the ribbon tied around it let out a satisfied, booming belch.

“KUI—YIN!!”

Hearing the tone the creature always made, You Ran asked curiously, “Is… is your name ‘Qui… Quinn’?”

“KUI—YIN! KKK—YIN!”

Hearing its name, Quinn excitedly extended a tentacle to touch her, but quickly pulled it back. Almost every living thing it touched turned to stone or died. Though this girl had touched it earlier without harm, it didn’t want to risk her life again.

“Quinn, do you… know where… pur… purple flowers… are?” You Ran stammered, hoping the creature could understand her.

Quinn tilted its head, watching her animated explanation. Finally realizing she was looking for something, the creature—which had nested here for ages—began to pull out its treasures: shimmering rare gems, bones of unknown animals, and various bizarre trinkets.

You Ran shook her head. While these treasures might have been incredibly alluring to others, she only wanted those purple flowers. Then, she spotted a withered blossom pressed beneath a pile of gems. It matched Sister Fu Ya’s description perfectly.

She rushed forward, gently pushing the gems aside, and picked up the dried purple flower. She looked at it with disbelief, then joyfully ran to Quinn, pointing urgently. “This! This is… the… the flower!”

If Quinn had a human face, it would have worn an expression of pure disdain. All that picking and choosing, only to want such an ordinary weed.

“You… you know where?” You Ran’s eyes sparkled. She guessed Quinn knew the source.

Quinn did know where they grew, but it was a place the creature could not enter. The flowers grew on the sheer cliffs in the deepest part of the forest. Being cursed, Quinn could not step into that forbidden zone. It couldn’t understand why she wanted them.

Seeing Quinn’s hesitation, You Ran did everything she could to plead with it. Finally, worn down by her persistence, Quinn led the human girl to a cliffside where the black mist had cleared.

Above them, clusters of vivid purple flowers bloomed on a precipice that seemed to touch the clouds. They were nestled between the rocks, nearly twenty meters above the ground. Fortunately, the rock face was rough with natural handholds. If she climbed slowly… she might reach them.

Quinn watched from the stream below, its large round eyes filled with anxiety as You Ran scaled the wall. It tried to reach out a tentacle to help, but the powerful curse of the forbidden zone suppressed its movement. It could only swim restlessly in the water.

You Ran climbed for what felt like an eternity, not daring to look down. She was now fifteen meters high. In her past, hunger had forced her to climb trees for wild fruit, so she mentally urged herself to stay calm.

Finally, the purple flowers were within reach. Standing on her tiptoes, she gripped a crevice with her left hand and reached out with her right to carefully pluck the blossoms.

A gust of wind swept across the ridge, blowing dust into the visitor’s face. You Ran ignored the stinging in her eyes and the scratches on her cheeks. She gripped the stems tightly and finally pulled several flowers free.

Below, Quinn saw her succeed and shook its head happily.

But the joy lasted less than a second. The rock beneath You Ran’s foot suddenly crumbled.

No!! I finally found the flowers Lady Mu Fei likes…

When fresh purple flowers are broken, their stems release a massive amount of sedative essence. As she fell, the scent filled her lungs, causing You Ran to lose consciousness instantly. She could do nothing as gravity took hold.

The last thing she heard was Quinn’s frantic, guttural roar.

Quinn lunged to catch her, but a piercing shockwave erupted from the shadows beneath the cliff. Sensing a terrifying, overwhelming pressure, Quinn immediately dove into a crevice to hide.

You Ran did not hit the ground. Instead, she fell into a cold, silent embrace.

A powerful, frigid, yet incredibly gentle embrace.

With the last of her will, You Ran forced her eyes open. A breathtakingly beautiful face filled her vision. When she met those unfamiliar, glowing crimson eyes, she whispered in disbelief, “Lady… Mu Fei…”

Mu Fei looked at the purple flowers clutched tightly in the girl’s hand and the wounds on her face. A glint of emotion flashed in her eyes. She suppressed the murderous aura surrounding her, gently cradling You Ran and holding her hand.

“Lady…” You Ran’s eyes were misty. She had been so close to bringing the flowers back. Believing this was a hallucination before death, she struggled to lift her hand to offer the flowers to the vision. At least, even if it was a dream, she wanted this to be her last act.

The figure didn’t speak. Instead, cold fingertips brushed the dirt from her cheek. A wave of exhaustion swept over You Ran, and her world went dark.

Daolei emerged from the shadows behind his mistress. His usually impeccable hair was slightly disheveled from the non-stop journey. He looked at the girl in Mu Fei’s arms with a complex heart.

When he first learned You Ran was missing, it was the first time he had ever seen panic on Mu Fei’s face. A noble pureblood had exhausted herself, using her high-speed movement abilities to race back from the southern estate without a single pause—all for a human child.

Has she truly found pity for a human? Daolei wondered.

A sound from the stream caught their attention. The little monster peeked out from a crack, staring in terror at the woman cloaked in darkness.

“A ‘Child of the Curse’,” Daolei noted, looking to Mu Fei for instructions on whether to eliminate it.

Mu Fei looked down at the shivering monster and noticed the ribbon tied to its claw. She said nothing, turned, and carried You Ran out of the Black Mist Forest.