Wanxi Rebirth - Chapter 22

Hearing the term “Old Ancestor” used to describe Miss Qin unexpectedly, Yue Tingxi’s expression shifted instantly.

Almost instinctively, she wanted to look toward Qin Suliu, but she forcibly stopped herself, taking a deep breath before speaking to the Qingyu Mountain elder: “She is who she is, and that person is who they are. If it weren’t for her help this time, I’d probably be a puppet in the mortal realm for the rest of my life—until death!”

“Is that so…” The Qingyu Mountain elder snorted lightly. “Very well, then use your own eyes to see clearly.”

As her words fell, the oppressive aura that had enveloped Qin Suliu dissipated abruptly, as if it had never existed.

“Sorry about that, the elder Qingyu Mountain’s temperament is just like this,” Yue Tingxi said apologetically to Qin Suliu after confirming the elder had withdrawn her awareness.

At this point, they were still allies. Since there was no evidence of a “tainted soul,” there was no need to strain the relationship with Miss Qin over it.

“No matter, given past experiences, it’s understandable that the elder would care about you,” Qin Suliu quickly shook her head and looked toward the mountain path. “Where are we going to pick the fruit?”

“No rush, I’ll take you for a walk up the mountain first.” Although she said this, Yue Tingxi actually couldn’t remember exactly where the orchard usually was. She figured she might as well use the walk as an excuse to recover her fading memories.

Seeing Miss Qin nod, she led the way, still pondering Qingyu Mountain elder’s words.

She could never forget Qingyu Mountain elder. Even when she was a soft, newly hatched little snake, the elder had held her in her palm and patiently helped her become familiar with the entire Xishan.

When she was thirsty, she drank the spiritual dew gathered by the elder. When hungry, a simple “hiss hiss” would bring spiritual fruits and delicious meats.

When she was old enough to remember, she practiced absorbing the essence of heaven and earth alongside the elder, slowly entering the path of cultivation. When she first became human, the elder measured her body and personally wove her clothing.

She knew Qingyu Mountain elder too well to misunderstand: the elder genuinely cared about her, and had truly been angered just now—her words were not exaggerated. The elder had indeed seen Qin Suliu’s soul.

As the “Old Ancestor” of the Xishan demons, Qingyu Mountain elder’s spiritual awareness—or rather, the demons called it “divine sense”—was said to be able to detect whether a demon’s or a person’s soul was tainted, no matter how carefully they tried to hide it.

As for how the elder judged a tainted soul, she had her mysterious methods. Even the most curious and bold demons would only receive explanations that were incomprehensible:

“Past memories inevitably leave traces,” “the soul has its own purity or impurity…”

But Yue Tingxi understood clearly that, barring accidents, Miss Qin’s soul should currently show no “impurity traces.”

Regardless of what she had seen or learned after becoming the “Sect Leader’s Wife” in her past life, or how Miss Qin had been defined as the “malicious supporting female” in the Book of World Affairs, before the Qin family massacre, Qin Suliu’s character and actions had been upright and honorable.

On closer thought, the Book of World Affairs had originally described Miss Qin simply as a “supporting female.”

So then… where did the “taint” in Miss Qin’s soul come from?

Yue Tingxi vaguely felt that some connection was forming, and the truth was about to surface—but she quickly realized a crucial piece of the puzzle was missing.

No matter how much she guessed, she couldn’t catch even a hint of the missing clue.

…Fine, let’s just coexist for now. At least for now, Miss Qin isn’t bad toward her.

As Yue Tingxi pondered, Qin Suliu was also uneasy.

She knew Yue Tingxi trusted the Qingyu Mountain elder, but why could Yue Tingxi continue walking as if she hadn’t heard anything, without asking even a single question?

Was it because she felt “there was no need to quarrel with an ally,” or… was she, like herself, silently contemplating the matter?

“We’ve arrived. This is the Han Tao (Peach) Orchard.”

At that moment, as they reached their destination, Qin Suliu steadied herself, preparing to follow her into the orchard, but a playful female voice called out: “Isn’t this little Tingxi? Why are you bringing a human into the mountains?”

She looked toward the sound and saw a silver-ringed snake slowly hanging from a tree, staring directly at her.

The gaze wasn’t hostile, only curious.

“She’s not afraid of demons and has helped me a lot, so I brought her along to play,” Yue Tingxi said succinctly. “Which tree’s peaches are sweetest this year? I want to pick more.”

“Pick more for what? The trees don’t have legs—they won’t run. Are you afraid they’ll spoil?” The silver-ringed snake didn’t avert its gaze, jokingly adding, “Oh~ you want to pick them for the human girl? You really haven’t changed; you always liked bright-colored girls back then.”

“…Chan Ying, if you keep talking nonsense, I’ll make you pay!” Yue Tingxi said in mock annoyance.

The silver-ringed snake laughed and retreated into the tree, leaving a tip: “The tallest tree to the southeast. For your sake, even the human girl can reach it.”

Yue Tingxi immediately headed over. Just as she reached the peach tree, Qin Suliu quietly asked: “Bright-colored girls?”

“Don’t listen to her nonsense. I just happened to save a lost human girl. That’s all,” Yue Tingxi casually explained. “That girl liked bright-colored clothing, but her personality matched the colors.”

Mentioning this brought back memories of the little girl from twenty years ago.

The little girl carried a storage bag full of clothes—cobalt blue, bright red, and colors similar to what Qin Suliu wore now, like purple.

However, a five or six-year-old wearing purple looked rather mature, so during the days Yue Tingxi spent with her, she mostly saw bright red.

Later, the little girl began wearing Yue Tingxi’s water-colored long robe, claiming, “This one is more comfortable,” regardless of the fit.

As Yue Tingxi reminisced, she reached out, carefully using her spiritual power to pick peaches.

The little girl particularly loved peaches and would taste them as she picked, muttering, “You have to try it to know which tree is sweetest,” leaving the orchard sampled thoroughly. No wonder Chan Ying remembered her.

Just as she was recalling this, she noticed a branch shake and instinctively looked over.

Qin Suliu had picked a peach, cleansed its surface with her spiritual power, and immediately popped it into her mouth.

…The scene felt so familiar.

“It’s indeed sweet.”

As if noticing Yue Tingxi’s gaze, Qin Suliu turned around. “Sorry, I thought she might be tricking you, so I went to the sourest tree as a precaution and tasted it first.”

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