Wanxi Rebirth - Chapter 116

Yue Tingxi had fully intended to cut ties with Qin Suliu.

But when she woke up, she realized that wishing for a clean break between them was nothing short of a pipe dream.

She was lying on Qin Suliu’s soft couch just as she always did, but the clothes on her body weren’t the ones she had been wearing before. Even her snake-half had been carefully wiped clean, leaving behind a very faint, floral fragrance as if someone were deliberately trying to mask a scent that would otherwise invite scandalous thoughts.

Her head throbbed with the dull ache of a hangover. Try as she might, she couldn’t piece together the finer details of last night, but she knew one thing for certain: she had to find out exactly what had happened.

The moment Qin Suliu opened her eyes, Yue Tingxi leaned over, asking with pressing urgency, “Last night—”

Before she could finish, Qin Suliu caught her hand. As if she had long anticipated the interrogation, she guided Yue Tingxi’s fingers directly onto the space between her own brows. “Come see for yourself in my spiritual sea.”

Yue Tingxi: “…”

The words “spiritual intimacy” instantly flashed through her mind. She internally blamed Chanying, who was always shoving those trashy, romance web novels into her hands.

Even though she felt she had no right to engage in such an intimate interaction one typically reserved only for the closest kin or cultivation partners her desperate need to know the truth overrode her moral hesitation.

Sending her spiritual consciousness into Qin Suliu’s mind, she quickly located the memory fragments from the previous night.

She didn’t watch for long before she abruptly pulled her consciousness back. She threw her hands up, covering a face that was already burning bright red.

She had been given countless opportunities to stop Qin Suliu, or at least call a halt to things, yet she had done absolutely nothing. It was a mercy that she had merely let herself be handled, rather than using the alcohol as an excuse to do something inappropriate to Qin Suliu.

“I still don’t quite understand. What exactly is Tingxi-jiejié worrying about?”

Qin Suliu sat up, pressing close to Yue Tingxi as she asked a question she already knew the answer to. “The age gap? Even regular friends can have ‘generational gaps,’ so why can’t cultivation partners? Living in different places? Xishan and Kongming Villa aren’t that far apart. If that truly bothers you, we can simply build a private teleportation array for just the two of us after we wed. Everyone would understand.”

“An unclear past? I already know where our past selves sealed our memories. I only want to retrieve them together with you. That is the only fair way.”

She patiently listed every single insecurity she could think of.

Yue Tingxi remained entirely silent. Everything Qin Suliu was saying was something she herself had turned over in her mind more than once. But her judgment that they weren’t meant to be didn’t stem solely from those reasons.

Yet, no matter how much she doubted herself, the girl before her had absolutely no intention of letting her go. And because of what had transpired last night, Yue Tingxi realized that she, too, would find it incredibly difficult to leave Qin Suliu now.

Beyond mere “habit,” something else had clearly taken root inside her, even if she still couldn’t quite put it into words.

Seeing Yue Tingxi’s prolonged silence, Qin Suliu thought for a moment and asked, “Then… is Tingxi-jiejié willing to set a marriage contract and become my cultivation partner?”

“But I…”

…I do not possess the romantic affection a cultivation partner should have for you.

Yue Tingxi opened her mouth, but the second half of her sentence refused to form.

And just like that, their betrothal was settled.

Not long after, they returned to the forbidden grounds of the villa, the very place where they had once sparred years ago.

Revisiting the old haunt twelve years later, the roles were reversed; Qin Suliu was the one leading the way this time. Channeling her bloodline into her spiritual energy, she unsealed one dust-laden door after another.

Yue Tingxi followed closely beside her, a mix of nervousness and barely concealed excitement thrumming through her.

As long as they could reach the depths of the forbidden grounds and reclaim their past memories, the random fragments that had been flashing across her spiritual sea all these years would finally connect into a coherent line.

Within those memories, would there be any traces proving that they had once loved each other?

“Aunt Chuhan said we must consume a Soul-Cleansing Pill before taking back our memories,” Qin Suliu said, handing Yue Tingxi a medicine vial as they arrived before two sealed memory spheres resting in specialized containers. “That way, even if you find yourself disagreeing with your past self’s choices, you won’t be severely affected during the retrieval process.”

Yue Tingxi frowned, shaking her head. “No need. Since it’s my memory, even if it belongs to another version of me, I should own up to it.”

Over the past few days, she had reasoned it out. If their past selves had carried sins, they would simply find a way to atone for them now. If they hadn’t, what was there to reject?

Refusing the Soul-Cleansing Pill, she placed her hand directly onto the sealed container.

The moment the seal broke, a vast, ocean-like torrent of memories surged into her spiritual sea.

However, this sea was remarkably gentle. A small portion began to seamlessly meld with her current memories, while a far more massive portion voluntarily erected a seal within her mind. A warning was even clearly etched into the barrier:

[Contains the full memories of seventy-nine reincarnations. Do not enter below the Tribulation Transcendence Stage.]

Qin Suliu did not immediately reclaim her own memories. Instead, she stood guard by Yue Tingxi’s side, tightly clutching the vial of Soul-Cleansing Pills, ready to force-feed her the medicine at the first sign of trouble.

But within the span of a single cup of tea, Yue Tingxi, who had been absorbing the memories, opened her eyes. The light humming from the sealed container gradually dimmed to a faint glow, signifying that the retrieval was complete.

“Tingxi-jiejié?” Qin Suliu called out cautiously. “How do you feel?”

Her response was a fierce, tight embrace.

For a fleeting second, Yue Tingxi actually regretted not taking the Soul-Cleansing Pill. She completely aligned with and accepted everything her past self had experienced…at least, the portions she was currently allowed to see…and because of that, she was profoundly affected. Looking at Qin Suliu now, her internal attitude had undergone a massive, staggering shift.

…She just hoped she wouldn’t scare the girl.

“It feels like waking from a great dream,” Yue Tingxi murmured, keeping her arms locked around the girl, resisting the urge to nuzzle against her. “I should have listened to you and taken the pill before breaking the seal. I…”

For a moment, she struggled to string her thoughts together, finally settling on a fierce promise: “I am still the Yue Tingxi you have known since childhood.”

In truth, she found it hard to fathom how her original self had managed to endure it all.

The world within those past memories was a far harsher, crueler place than the one they lived in now.

In the ancient era, demons and beasts ran rampant, committing catastrophic atrocities. The relationship between the two races was so strained that a “Ten-Thousand-Year Pact” had been established; any demon wishing to walk the human realm had to meticulously hide their identity.

In that world, even if she and Qin Suliu fell in love, it would have been near-impossible to be together openly. Their bond would have become a glaring weakness for rival immortal sects to isolate and attack the Qin family.

But everything was different now.

After defeating the invaders and the Novel Transmigration Management Bureau backing them, their past selves had sealed their memories and rewound time, correcting the errors of the previous World Consciousness from the very source.

Now, the two races could coexist peacefully, and they could proudly become cultivation partners, sharing their love with the entire world.

Seeing that Yue Tingxi was safe, Qin Suliu put the medicine vial away. “Since you didn’t take it, I won’t use the Soul-Cleansing Pill either.”

Before coming here, she had repeatedly emphasized the need for a “fair playing field.” However Tingxi-jiejié integrated her past, she would do the exact same. Even if something went wrong, she trusted that Tingxi-jiejié would immediately take her to their elders for help.

Had it been the old Yue Tingxi, she would have surely stopped her. But the current Yue Tingxi merely smiled and nodded, releasing her embrace and respecting her choice.

The young lady… or rather, the Second Miss of the Qin family in this lifetime, was someone she had always viewed as a child needing her protection. She had forgotten that Qin Suliu was also the young master raised with utmost care by Kongming Villa, someone fully capable of standing on her own.

Whether it was the proposal twelve years in the making, or choosing the exact same method to reclaim her past, Yue Tingxi now understood that every single choice was born from Qin Suliu’s own agency.

As Qin Suliu placed her hand on her container and closed her eyes, Yue Tingxi quietly stood guard, taking the time to review a portion of the memories she had just unlocked.

The only flaw was a distinct gap in the timeline.

After sealing their memories, she and Qin Suliu were supposed to have handled a few final matters before heading to Xishan to scatter their spiritual essence. Yet, those final events were completely missing from the retrieved memories.

There was nothing to be done about it now. But as long as they asked the people they had last met in their past lives, they should be able to piece the missing puzzle together.

Within her spiritual sea, Qin Suliu found herself standing before a wisp of consciousness left behind by her past self.

There is no need to worry. I have divided our memories into multiple layers to prevent any identity confusion. I have compiled and organized the information regarding our past and present situations; you can read through this summary first, then unlock the corresponding memories based on my notes.

Furthermore, even if you choose to accept all of my memories, your current self will not vanish. The experiences you have accumulated in this lifetime are by no means meaningless.

Just view it as waking from a grand dream.

Taking her time, Qin Suliu combed through the neatly organized information, shattering one mental barrier after another as she formally integrated her past.

The events her past self had lived through unfolded before her like silk unspooling from a cocoon. Because of her absolute trust in Yue Tingxi, she felt entirely at peace throughout the process.

She only opened her eyes when she reached the final barrier…the one requiring a Tribulation Transcendence cultivation to cross.

She was back in the familiar forbidden grounds. Tingxi-jiejié’s face bore no signs of worry or impatience; not much time had passed in the physical world.

On second thought, it made perfect sense.

Her past self had eventually become the System, reinforced by Tingxi-jiejié’s divine power. For convenience, they had placed a time-compression and stasis spell over both their memory spheres, ensuring they could snap out of the retrieval quickly without delaying important matters.

Their eyes met, both seeing a blend of familiar and unfamiliar emotions reflecting back at them.

Finally, Qin Suliu spoke first, a soft smile playing on her lips. “Should I say ‘welcome back’?”

“Perhaps. Though our current situation doesn’t exactly feel like we’ve been possessed by our past selves…” Yue Tingxi laughed, catching on instantly. “We clearly promised each other to wait at Fengqing’s place to make sure we wouldn’t miss each other, yet we completely forgot about it!”

After double-checking the state of the other sealed containers, they walked out of the forbidden grounds side by side.

“The reason I was reluctant to agree to a marriage contract with you… I can finally explain it clearly now,” Yue Tingxi initiated as they walked. “I always thought I was incredibly boring… fit to be a confidante, but entirely unsuitable as a partner. If you left it up to me to think of the romantic gestures written in those storybooks, I honestly wouldn’t know how to pull off anything memorable for you.”

“But no one…neither human nor demon…has ever decreed that someone who doesn’t understand romance cannot be a cultivation partner.” Qin Suliu turned her gaze to her. “Besides, both you and your snake form like me, don’t you?”

The comment immediately dragged Yue Tingxi’s mind back to the night of Qin Suliu’s birthday banquet. She cleared her throat forcefully, blushing. “I still care about my dignity!”

Qin Suliu giggled, wrapping her arms around her. “But it happens every single time. I’ve heard there’s a specific type of psychological dependence that manifests through physical proximity, and there are plenty of documented cases. In more extreme examples, someone can completely resent a person in their mind, yet their body craves constant, intimate contact with them.”

“…You might as well just call me out by name,” Yue Tingxi muttered, wishing she could dig a hole and bury herself on the spot. “Back when I wanted to kill you, my snake tail was already wrapping itself around you.”

What a traitorous tail!

With their past memories restored, the knots that had tightly bound Yue Tingxi’s heart over the years finally unraveled.

Before preparing for what was technically their countless wedding, the two decided to hold a formal meeting with the friends and family who knew the truth.

As it happened, a vast crowd had already gathered for Qin Suliu’s birthday celebration…which was actually a grand, double eighteenth birthday banquet for the twin sisters. Even Chuiyin, who usually detested going out, and Bai Yu, the former master of the Star-Gazing Pavilion who had long closed his doors to visitors, had made an appearance.

They spoke directly with Lan Kongming and Qin Chuhan first, requesting a private tea gathering to invite all the allies they had shared bonds with in their past lives.

“Tsk, tsk… Who would have thought we’d actually gather again for a reason like this?”

Chuiyin’s tone was as impatient as ever, but underneath her robes, her tail sneaked out, swishing happily from side to side.

“No wonder my divinations indicated your return today,” Bai Yu said with a gentle smile. “You two have already returned twice before, though I certainly did not expect it to happen in this manner.”

His words left both Yue Tingxi and Qin Suliu feeling a bit self-conscious. After all, their current selves were still slightly distinct from who they used to be; even with their memories returned, it wasn’t a “rebirth” in the traditional sense.

However, since they had fully accepted their pasts, it was only right to offer a formal greeting to their old allies so they would no longer worry.

“When you scattered your spiritual essence back then, I still understood so little,” Lan Kongming sighed softly, her gaze overflowing with tenderness as she looked at Qin Suliu. “I am fortunate to be able to share another lifetime as your family.”

“Then, do you wish to retrieve your memories as well?” Qin Chuhan asked her. “You always maintained that the time hadn’t come for you to know the past.”

“Yes. If it takes a long time, I’ll have to trouble you and Xingzhi to manage the villa’s affairs while I am away,” Lan Kongming agreed without a second thought.

Qingwu and Xiezhi, having watched the two girls grow up all over again in this life, found that they didn’t have much to add. They simply urged them to pursue whatever goals they originally had while they were still young.

With “old bones” like them keeping a watchful eye on the current world, the younger generation no longer needed to exhaust themselves running ragged just to maintain the peace between humans and demons.

Leaning against the wall by the doorway, Tushan Jinglan watched the warm, lively reunion. In truth, she wasn’t entirely sure why she had been invited.

Although she had followed Yue Tingxi and Qin Suliu for many years in the past, she was acutely aware of the immense trouble she had caused them. Even though she had slowly altered her outlook and guided the surviving clan members to become “coexistence advocates”—a stance the old clan chief would have utterly despised…after the massacre at the Buze Hills, she still didn’t think she earned the right to be called their friend.

…Yet, when the invitation to the tea party was delivered to her hands, she couldn’t stop herself from coming. She didn’t even know what she was hoping for.

Sensing the room gradually fall silent, Tushan Jinglan realized that every pair of eyes had quietly turned toward her. Taking a deep breath, she decided to deliver a thorough, formal progress report on the shifting mindset of her clan.

To her utter surprise, everyone present listened patiently until the very end. Not a single person interrupted her.

The overwhelming warmth of the atmosphere made Tushan Jinglan’s throat tighten. She swallowed hard, asking in a soft, trembling voice:

“So… am I considered a trustworthy friend to you all now?”

Support