Wanxi Rebirth - Chapter 23

Yue Tingxi paused for a few seconds before catching up to the young lady’s train of thought—probably the misunderstanding earlier had arisen from her brief sparring with Chanying.

“No, Chanying just likes to play with words. Even if she teases someone, she wouldn’t dare aim at me,” she said with a mix of amusement and exasperation, quickly explaining, “After all, if she really angered me, I would seriously tie her up with my spells!”

—I’ve actually seen you do exactly that to her,

Qin Suoliu thought silently.

In reality, mentioning Chanying was just an excuse. Revisiting the old place, seeing the trees full of vibrant peach-colored blossoms, had instinctively brought back a childhood favorite pastime.

Although she hoped Yue Tingxi would recognize her, she only allowed herself to think this silently.

Once past bonds resurface, the impressions left on one’s heart remain, deepening or fading with time.

If Yue Tingxi had also returned from a previous life, the younger version of herself would have left a “well-deservedly punished” bad impression. In that case, it was better to let the innocent little girl from twenty years ago remain a distant, beautiful memory.

At least back then, her soul hadn’t been tainted.

Suppressing this thought, Qin Suoliu asked, “If that’s the case, shall I pick more of the peaches from this tree?”

Yue Tingxi nodded and continued controlling her spiritual energy to harvest the fruit.

After this little incident, the subtle feeling that had risen in her heart quietly dissipated.

The picked peaches were divided into two portions and placed by the young lady into storage jade boxes specially for medicinal ingredients, ensuring they could stay fresh for several days. They could even be handed over to Luo Yansha without worry—she was happy to entrust this friend.

“If there are also white sand loquats, put them in the jade boxes too,” Qin Suoliu said. “I brought plenty of jade boxes.”

Yue Tingxi couldn’t help thinking, so rich, as the jade boxes Qin Suoliu produced were top quality—at least three to five years’ worth of spirit stones would be needed to buy one herself.

When leaving the peach orchard, Yue Tingxi went to retrieve her storage bag and felt the one that Lan Fengqing had gifted her in the inner chamber.

She subconsciously wanted to borrow from her friend: “Chanying, I’ll—”

Before she could finish, she saw Qin Suoliu lift a storage bag onto the treetop with spiritual energy.

“Since you’re a familiar friend of Miss Tingxi, a small token, not a courtesy,” she said.

Chanying, a straightforward spirit, tore open the gift immediately. Scanning it with her spiritual awareness and counting the spirit stones inside, she excitedly exclaimed, “Wow!!” The silver-ringed snake coiled happily on the branches.

“So generous! Who’s this noble benefactor?”

Yue Tingxi: …

Qin Suoliu calmly said, “From the Qin family,” and then saw the silver-ringed snake fall straight to the ground, transforming into a girl in pink.

“Let’s go! I’ll take you to the orchard with the sweetest white sand loquats!” Chanying said, her eyes on Qin Suoliu while her hand grabbed Yue Tingxi’s sleeve.

Coincidentally, Yue Tingxi also wanted to know the way to the orchard with good loquats. She suppressed the urge to pull away and let Chanying lead her forward.

She remembered that the loquat orchard was tended by a white-haired small dog spirit, though that creature preferred running all over the hills rather than staying in the orchard.

As Chanying led them outside the orchard, the dog spirit wasn’t in sight.

“I tried the loquats a few days ago—the ones from the north and west sides are good!” Chanying didn’t go inside but pointed the way. “Pick the wrinkled ones; the smooth ones are too sour! I’ll head back now!”

While Yue Tingxi picked the loquats, Qin Suoliu glanced toward the gate from time to time.

She remembered the white-haired dog spirit.

This dog spirit was a mother of a litter, fond of young spirits, and exceptionally warm toward human children. When she saw them, she would wag her tail and sniff them thoroughly—remembering their scent so she could recognize them next time.

Luckily, the dog spirit wasn’t around today, or her scent-concealing magic might have been discovered.

After picking the fruit, Yue Tingxi also gathered some mugwort, binding them together with long reed leaves into five or six bundles to carry.

“Since we’re here, I’ll go back to my cave to fetch some things,” she explained to Qin Suoliu. “I still need to pay respects to Qingyu Shanren. If I stay too long in the human realm, she’ll be worried.”

Besides this, she needed to inform Qingyu Shanren about Lan Chaoyao’s possible future actions and the suspected Shaman working with the demon realm to prevent trouble before it arose.

Qin Suoliu said, “Okay.”

As they prepared to revisit old grounds, her heart was both anxious and eager.

After being rescued, due to a small selfish reason, she had allowed Lan Chaoyao to return home first and inform the elders while she stayed by Yue Tingxi’s side for a while.

Later, after the Qin family massacre, she fell into the demon realm. In that chaotic period of only killing and knowing nothing of the sun or moon, the only comfort was meeting Yue Tingxi in her childhood.

Back then, she thought, At least Sister Tingxi is alive, safely in Xishan. If I survive, I can see her again.

She must survive! She must fight her way out! She must reach—no matter if it’s crawling—Sister Tingxi’s side!

Even if her face was unrecognizable, after avenging herself, she might still be able to ask Sister Tingxi to perform a ritual to help her spirit move on.

Sister Tingxi would never refuse.

Thus, when she discovered on the Locking Demon Platform that the demon she had been using was actually Yue Tingxi, she felt nothing but a hollow emptiness, leaving only one thought:

Give Yue Tingxi release with her own hands, then explode her own core to accompany her spirit.

In this way, Sister Tingxi’s demon body could be completely destroyed, without being used for forging or alchemy.

“Miss Suoliu? We’re here.”

The familiar voice brought Qin Suoliu back to the present. She focused and saw Yue Tingxi replacing last year’s mugwort bundles at the cave entrance with fresh ones.

Yue Tingxi remembered the path back to her cave very clearly.

For the past five years, she had silently prayed for a chance—escape from Qingxu Sect, return to Xishan, and hide in her cave, sealing the entrance for ten or twenty years.

Thus, whenever she had free time, she would repeatedly simulate this route in her mind.

“Honestly, I’m the type of spirit obsessed with cultivation. My cave doesn’t have many furnishings, please forgive me,” Yue Tingxi said, unlocking the cave’s seal and pushing open the stone door.

It was the rainy season, but the damp smell inside the cave gave her immense comfort.

Though she would descend the mountain soon, after five full years, she was finally home.

She first invited her guest, Miss Qin, inside, then retrieved her storage bag, tea set, and “Xishan Red Robe” to make tea for Qin Suoliu.

“It’s very damp in here. May I burn away some of the moisture?” Qin Suoliu looked around and asked.

“Mm, go ahead,” Yue Tingxi subconsciously replied, then paused.

Just as she had felt a strange familiarity earlier in the peach orchard when Qin Suoliu ate fruit, that feeling surged again.

—“So damp! It’s killing me! I have to burn this moisture!!”

Then, the voice of a young girl, pouty and indignant, clearly rang in her mind.

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