Wanxi Rebirth - Chapter 59

Qin Suoliu was once again brought back to the living quarters of the Qingyu Mountain residents.

She heard Yue Tingxi speaking to the ancestor, saying she wanted to have a private conversation with her. Returning to her usual bedroom, Qin Suoliu took her original seat.

She remembered the warnings from Tu Shan Jinglan and Shuo Han Hua:

—“Your end is being prolonged, but it is merely shifting from one extreme to another!”

—“If you drive me away, you will become what you fear most now.”

She thought carefully. When she first heard those words, she had indeed been afraid, panicked, and uneasy. She had hidden from Yue Tingxi the side effects of accepting the World Consciousness’s aid.

If Yue Tingxi had found out, she would certainly have tried to intervene—perhaps advising her to temporarily keep Shuo Han Hua, or to rely more on herself, rather than constantly leaning on the World Consciousness’s power.

But now… she felt nothing.

Calm.

Her soul, consciousness, and mood were as still as an ancient well, without even a ripple.

Hearing Yue Tingxi enter, she considered calling her “Sister Tingxi” as before, to show closeness.

But she also thought that if Yue Tingxi noticed the subtle change in her tone before and after the incident, it might make her upset.

So she only asked, “What do you want to know?”

Seeing her like this, Yue Tingxi’s heart felt a mix of emotions.

There was naturally anger, but she had long grown used to the little liar’s temper and could roughly understand why Qin Suoliu had delayed telling her, and why she had clung to her so desperately before the side effects appeared.

Once her initial anger subsided, she sat beside the young lady, looking at her as she had transformed from a “little firecracker” or “little fox spirit” into a sculpture devoid of joy or sorrow—it made her feel a deep sadness.

She reached out to hold Qin Suoliu’s hand again, and this time it wasn’t avoided.

Her earlier intuition had been correct: in the days immediately after successfully surviving the tribulation, the young lady’s fingertips were cold, likely due to the pure fire-element Shuo Han Hua suppressing the side effects of the World Consciousness.

Now that Shuo Han Hua had been expelled, even though she was a pure fire-element soul, her entire hand was colder than Yue Tingxi’s scales.

“You really insist on having this power?” Yue Tingxi murmured.

“I’m sorry. I experienced in my previous life the consequences of not being strong enough,” Qin Suoliu replied in a tone that remained calm beyond her control, “I watched my family be killed, was cast into the demon realm, couldn’t see through the intruder’s disguises against my beloved, and ultimately failed to fulfill her wishes.”

“That wasn’t your fault…”

“But the result was this,” Qin Suoliu said. “To prevent this from happening again, I must gain sufficiently powerful strength.”

She knew the cost but was willing to accept it.

Yue Tingxi looked into her eyes, her heart pierced with fine, persistent pain.

“And what about me?” she asked after a long pause. “How do you see me?”

“You have always been my favorite person…”

“I’m not asking that!” Yue Tingxi shook her head forcefully, her voice trembling yet helpless. “Do you still see me as the puppet I was in your past life—unable to speak or fight? Do you think I can’t help you?”

“That’s not it…”

“Then why didn’t you even tell me?” Yue Tingxi raised her voice. “Was it because you thought I’d stop you? Or you just wanted a few final moments of pleasure before the side effects appeared? Or did you think I couldn’t handle the outcome? Qin Suoliu, you remember what you did to me in your past life, right?”

She took a deep breath. “No matter what you become, good or bad, I have foreseen it. I have said it before—I can distinguish right from wrong, good from evil. If I think something is bad for you, I will stop it. But before that, I want to talk with you, discuss it, hear what you truly think.”

“When you wanted to keep the Medium of the Hidden Realm, hadn’t I already ‘demonstrated’ my point?” She gripped Qin Suoliu’s hand, trying to warm it again. “But… now, I only want to ask what you intend to do.”

“With Shuo Han Hua expelled, you’ve become like this. In theory, you could imitate Shuo Han Hua to return to your previous state,” Yue Tingxi lifted her other hand to caress Qin Suoliu’s cold face, “and I want you to recover. You’re still young, your friends and family are all here, and we… we only just started dual cultivation, didn’t we?”

Although still awkward expressing such things, she knew she had to speak—and wanted to.

At least saying it made the lingering pain in her heart slightly more bearable.

Having listened word for word, Qin Suoliu fell into thought, but didn’t forget to reply: “If that’s the case, I need to think about what to do.”

“Then think about it, I…” Yue Tingxi hesitated, struggling, but decided to act on her feelings, “I’ll try it myself.”

She lifted the young lady’s chin and kissed her, as she normally would.

This time it wasn’t a mere taste, but deep and lingering.

Qin Suoliu, while thinking, cooperated with her.

She remembered that previously, her heartbeat would race, her body curling uncontrollably—how much she loved that before dual cultivation.

Now those feelings had completely vanished, though her tactile senses were more acute. That was all.

It was as if everything was blocked. She knew what Yue Tingxi was doing, and her intentions, but the pleasure that should accompany it was gone, suspended lightly in the air.

“…Don’t try,” she instinctively warned during a pause.

But she was still knocked over by Yue Tingxi’s relentless attempt.

Yue Tingxi knew she didn’t want her doing this.

She wanted Qin Suoliu to realize how awkward the current state was, how uncomfortable and frustrated she herself felt!

Once Qin Suoliu realized this, she would try to change it, instead of just accepting it.

Yue Tingxi bit her earlobe, licked her neck—doing everything she normally restrained from—until they were both exhausted, yet still holding each other’s hands tightly.

“Why are you closing your eyes?”

“…Rhetorical question,” Qin Suoliu replied, still keeping her eyes shut to prevent Yue Tingxi from seeing the unchanged expression in them.

Yue Tingxi snorted heavily, her eyelids moist, the warmth pressing and coaxing her to open them.

…Had this snake ever done this before? She wondered why snakes could share this trait with canine demons.

Fine, if she insisted, she would see.

Qin Suoliu lifted her hand, using her fire-element power to dry her eyelids, and then opened them.

“It’s useless,” she reminded after a while.

But her lips were blocked again.

Yue Tingxi didn’t cultivate either, just repeatedly teased her.

By dawn, the Qingyu Mountain residents, who had been secretly observing, could no longer bear it and dragged their “precious cabbage” away.

“My little ancestor! Why so stubborn?” the resident said, exasperated.

Yue Tingxi couldn’t explain herself either.

Initially, she might have just wanted to slightly spur her on, but seeing Qin Suoliu’s calm eyes again and again made her feel inexplicably aggrieved.

What followed was probably the “revenge” that Qin Suoliu had repeatedly requested before—but Yue Tingxi restrained herself, careful not to truly harm her.

She simply got to the point: “Can I, like Shuo Han Hua, suppress the influence of the World Consciousness?”

The resident wanted to advise her, but realizing she had already adjusted herself, sighed and explained:

“It’s difficult. Her soul is strong enough, but her body cannot yet withstand the immense spiritual power surging after Tu Shan Jinglan and other souls dissipate. Thus, the World Consciousness has suppressed her cultivation to the mid-Out-of-Body stage—the highest she could withstand in her previous life.”

“That scoundrel flower’s words need not be heeded. Its so-called ‘suppression’ only isolates the interference of the World Consciousness, making it imperceptible. Long-term, it would harm Qin Suoliu’s body and soul!”

“Immense spiritual power? How high could it raise Ao Wu?” Yue Tingxi frowned.

“I calculated with Xie Zhi—it’s roughly mid-tribulation stage. I initially wanted her to bear part of the power, but she said she had already bound her soul to you with a blood contract—before you refine her, she cannot change masters!”

Yue Tingxi was stunned, then realized and thought carefully: “Then if I also bind a blood contract with Ao Wu, she could channel excess power through me to Xie Zhi?”

“Theoretically possible, but it would severely damage your soul and endanger your life! Absolutely do not attempt!” the resident said sternly.

“I understand. My cultivation isn’t enough yet. Rest assured, I won’t attempt it before reaching the tribulation stage.”

Thinking of Qin Suoliu still waiting in her room, Yue Tingxi turned back. “I will accompany her down the mountain. I brought her to Qingyu, and can only return a ruthless Daoist to the Qin family—this is my responsibility.”

“You… sigh!” the resident shook their head, knowing Yue Tingxi loved taking responsibility and would never be persuaded otherwise.

Returning to the room, Yue Tingxi intended to give medicine for Qin Suoliu’s external injuries, but saw that all traces had healed, so she withdrew her hand.

“I’ll go say farewell to old friends later, then take you and Sha Sha… and her little Chenjing down the mountain to the Qin Residence,” she told Qin Suoliu. “Do you want to go say goodbye with me?”

“No…” Qin Suoliu instinctively wanted to refuse. She could anticipate the scene and didn’t need to experience it.

But she added, “If we go together, the farewells may take a long time.”

“That’s fine! Old friends don’t need lengthy explanations,” Yue Tingxi said, pulling her along. She transformed into her giant snake form, letting the young lady sit on her.

Though she said they were saying farewell, Yue Tingxi’s closest allies on Qingyu Mountain were few—those willing to help from the heart.

Still, the matter of reincarnating and living a second life was best kept from too many. Yue Tingxi crafted a plausible lie.

As expected, Qin Suoliu’s changes shocked everyone. When they learned it was due to forcibly absorbing lightning tribulation and consecutive breakthroughs, they understood.

“That’s the manifestation of the Heavenly Dao! Little Suoliu, you dared to contain its power! Losing emotions and becoming a ruthless Daoist—consider yourself lucky!” Yun Ruan exclaimed, both awed and worried.

“Yes! Lucky you survived!” Chan Ying, a healer, sighed in relief while glaring at them, “Little Tingxi, don’t pamper her! I don’t want to send you down the mountain happy, only to get news of your deaths!”

“You’re cursing me again!” Yue Tingxi feigned a strike, but the silver-ringed snake laughed and dodged.

Yet Yue Tingxi recalled her past life.

The Book of World Affairs didn’t detail events after her death on Qingyu Mountain, so she didn’t know whether uninformed friends had rejoiced at her survival—fortunately, Little Tingxi had escaped harm in the human world.

Remembering past experiences and records, she couldn’t stay on Qingyu Mountain for too long before resolving the intruders—she had to observe and wait.

“I’m done with farewells too,” Qin Suoliu said calmly.

At that moment, she handed over a few koi fish, raised personally by Mountain Cat Girl, to be taken along.

“Okay, I’ll handle them,” Yue Tingxi said. She transformed into her black-tailed snake form to carry the koi into her inner chamber. “Don’t put them in the fish pavilion—Cui Cui’s fish are fierce!”

Luo Yanzha quietly observed, petting Bi Fang’s feathers.

After saying goodbye and descending the mountain, Qin Suoliu and Yue Tingxi returned to the Qin Residence at dusk.

After placing Luo Yanzha back in her room, Qin Suoliu parked the flying carriage outside her bedroom, climbed over the wall with Yue Tingxi, and removed the concealment barrier.

The barrier had been set by her mother, Lan Kongming. Once removed, she simply retrieved the koi from the inner chamber, and Lan Kongming knocked on the door.

“Suoliu, you…?!” Knowing her daughter well, Lan Kongming frowned, quickly checking her pulse.

“I relied on mountain protections to attract heavenly lightning and temper my soul, trying to remove Shuo Han Hua, contacting the World Consciousness in the process. That’s why I look like this,” Qin Suoliu explained before Yue Tingxi could intervene. “I temporarily cannot sense emotions…”

“You were mid-Yuan Embryo before leaving home, now mid-Out-of-Body stage, rushing to advance and risking your soul… are you hiding anything else from me?” Lan Kongming asked sternly.

Yue Tingxi silently admired her composure.

“There are ancient demons in the mountains, their spiritual perception can see through souls. What she said about my past matched exactly the nightmares I’ve been having for a month,” Qin Suoliu continued, presenting her prepared explanation. “The Qin Residence was overrun by the corpse army led by the Medium of the Hidden Realm—everyone perished, including you and Yin Guang.”

She couldn’t convincingly act sorrowful, so she paused slightly where she should have been upset.

“Though I’ve changed much with Sister Tingxi, the source is unknown, and past nightmares may still come true. I failed to consult you earlier—it’s my fault. If punishment is to be given, punish me alone. Sister Tingxi is innocent, her tribulation also endangered her life.”

Hearing this, Yue Tingxi twitched at the corner of her mouth but didn’t reveal the young lady’s trick.

Indeed, if past misfortunes could be conveyed as dreams, her family might feel comforted rather than traumatized. The suffering only needed to be experienced, endured, and known by them.

Just as she thought this, Lan Kongming sighed, “Foolish,” and took Qin Suoliu away under the pretense of checking her soul and body.

Meanwhile, Yue Tingxi pondered contacting Grey Moth and Lan Fengqing to figure out a solution.

The bedroom door was suddenly knocked.

“Miss Tingxi, long time no see. May I come in and talk?”

It was Second Miss Qin Yin Guang.

Yue Tingxi, sensing a lifeline, quickly opened the door. “Of course!”

But upon meeting the little girl’s clear, worried eyes, she snapped back to reality, sitting before her while maintaining a gentle tone. “What do you want to tell me?”

“I… I dreamed of Sister last night, but she… was very different,” Qin Yin Guang mumbled. “She was covered in thin ice, seemed to want to go somewhere alone, I ran to catch up but couldn’t reach her. I called out for everyone—Mother, elders, and you…”

“Then, I saw a huge black-tailed snake pounce on her, wrap around her, and disappear together.”

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