When a Yandere Cannon Fodder Meets a Dark, Twisted Villain - Chapter 33

Shi Yining straightened her back slightly, her eyes filled with evident confusion. “Who exactly is this person Your Highness wishes to take me to see?”

Sheng Huan plucked a strand of hair falling from Yining’s shoulder, twining it around her fingers playfully, a faint smile lingering on her lips. “Why don’t you try to guess, Ning’er?”

Shi Yining shook her head slowly, her tone tinged with helplessness. “Your Highness knows well that my memory is damaged. How could I possibly guess?”

Sheng Huan leaned forward, her gaze focused as if trying to look deep into Yining’s eyes. “That person is someone you held most dear to your heart. Can you truly not remember even a fraction of them?”

A flash of vacancy crossed Shi Yining’s eyes. She tried to recall, but it only resulted in a soft sigh. “Currently, in my memory, there is still only that blurred figure and some fragmented images. I cannot remember anything more.”

“I didn’t expect you to have truly forgotten her. I thought…” Sheng Huan clicked her tongue. “If she knew, she would surely be heartbroken.”

“Is Your Highness close with her?” Shi Yining asked tentatively.

“Not particularly well-acquainted,” Sheng Huan replied casually, still playing with the silken hair. “She did me a great favor, and in return, I promised her one request. She asked me to go to the Xuanqing Sect and bring you to see her.”

Shi Yining was puzzled. “Why did she not come to find me herself?”

Sheng Huan chuckled. “Oh, she wanted to come, but unfortunately, she couldn’t… Your Master strictly forbade her from ever stepping foot into the Xuanqing Sect. Since she didn’t want to break that promise, she came up with this plan to entrust me with bringing you out.”

Sitting to the side, Yu Chang felt her heart sink.

When she first heard that Sheng Huan intended to take her Senior Sister to see someone, she had a faint premonition. However, she had clung to a shred of hope, as she had never heard of that person having any dealings with the Imperial Princess of the Tiansheng Dynasty.

Now, however, that hope had completely vanished.

Who else could it be but Shu Mo—the one for whom her Senior Sister had repeatedly broken her own rules?

Thinking of the tears her Senior Sister had shed for that person and the injuries she had endured, a wave of bitterness surged in Yu Chang’s heart.

It hadn’t been easy for her Senior Sister to forget the past, and it was rare for Yu Chang to have the chance to stay by her side for so long… How wonderful it would be if things could just stay this way forever…

The moment that thought surfaced, Yu Chang snapped back to her senses, hurriedly lowering her eyelids to hide the dark emotions swirling in her eyes.

She shouldn’t think like that… If her Senior Sister could recover, she should be happy. The Heart-Forgetting Pill affected not just memory, but also her Senior Sister’s cultivation. She couldn’t be so selfish…

Beside them, Shi Yining pondered for a moment. Recalling Sheng Huan’s previous intimate behavior, she tested the waters: “Has Your Highness… met me before?”

“Indeed I have.” A glint of mischief flashed in Sheng Huan’s eyes. “Does Ning’er remember the storyteller in the teahouse of Kaiyuan City a month ago?”

Shi Yining was startled at first, then slowly recalled the incident.

At that time, the storyteller had mentioned the truth behind the drowning incident at Yunze Lake, which had slowly begun to change the public’s perception of her. Because the storyteller’s displayed strength did not match their cultivation level, she had suspected they were someone of great significance and had asked Yu Chang to investigate privately, though they found little information.

“Your Highness is… Lin Zhiyi?” Shi Yining was full of surprise.

Sheng Huan nodded with a smile. “I’m flattered Ning’er still remembers that name.”

Shi Yining became even more confused. “Your Highness is an Imperial Princess; why would you go to a teahouse to be a storyteller?”

Sheng Huan replied nonchalantly, “I was merely entrusted by someone to fulfill a task.”

Shi Yining’s heart stirred. “Was it her again?”

Sheng Huan nodded. “Naturally. Though at that time, she hadn’t yet helped me with my favor. I only agreed because I was curious about you and wanted to join in on the excitement.”

At this moment, the phoenix-patterned carriage flew steadily through the clouds. Shi Yining gazed at the flowing mist outside the window. After a while, she retracted her gaze and asked softly, “Who exactly is she… Can Your Highness still not tell me?”

“When you see her, you will naturally know.”

Sheng Huan tucked a stray lock of hair behind Yining’s ear, her tone gentle yet firm. “Since it was you who forgot her, it is only right that she tells you herself.”

Shi Yining lowered her gaze. “What if… I still can’t remember by then?”

Sheng Huan raised an eyebrow slightly. “Then don’t think about it. Don’t force yourself too hard. If it really doesn’t work out, just find someone else to love. Don’t be too obsessed with the past.”

In all honesty, Shi Yining was very much to her liking. If she weren’t the beloved of that person—and if she didn’t owe that person a massive favor—she might have actually tried to steal her away…

Sheng Huan leaned her head against the woman’s shoulder, her mind racing with thoughts.

The Tiansheng Dynasty had never had dealings with the Three Sects before. Her identity was sensitive; her trip to the Xuanqing Sect would likely reach her Mother Empress’s ears. A round of questioning would be unavoidable, and if she wasn’t careful and triggered the Empress’s suspicion, her fate might be dire.

She took no small risk on this trip. As long as she successfully brought Ning’er to her, the debt would be repaid.

If, at that time, that person still cannot help Ning’er recover her memories, then she would no longer step aside…

The phoenix-patterned carriage was drawn by spiritual beasts. Although the flight speed was fast, the distance between the Tiansheng Dynasty and the Xuanqing Sect spanned hundreds of thousands of miles. By the time night fell, the journey was not yet half complete.

Seeing the fatigue in Shi Yining’s brows, Sheng Huan suggested warmly, “This place is spacious enough. If Ning’er is tired, why not rest for a while?”

Shi Yining shook her head lightly, her gaze fixed on the shifting sunset colors outside the window.

“Your Highness said earlier that the person was strictly forbidden by my Master from entering the Xuanqing Sect… Now that we have been away from the Sect for some time, why hasn’t she appeared yet?”

“I asked her to wait at the Imperial Princess’s Manor.” Sheng Huan took out a tea set from her storage ring and poured a cup of warm spiritual tea for her. “I have been away from the manor for a long time; with her presiding there, the manor’s safety is ensured.”

“I see…” Shi Yining took the handed teacup, her fingertips lightly stroking the rim. “I have heard the Imperial City is heavily guarded; it must be very safe…”

A deep meaning flashed in Sheng Huan’s eyes. “The Imperial City appears prosperous and peaceful on the surface, but the hidden conflicts never cease. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have asked her to watch over the manor.”

Cultivators chase immortality, but people like them seek not only immortality, but also power.

If one day she could hold ultimate power over the realm, there would be a continuous supply of cultivation resources, making advancement to the Spirit Severing or Great Liberation stages no longer an unreachable dream… much like her Mother Empress. Before ascending the throne, she was only at the early Nascent Soul stage; yet in less than a century, she had already progressed to the late Great Liberation stage.

Sheng Huan possessed equal ambition; her future was still a long road ahead…

……

Amidst the curling scent of tea, Shi Yining finally succumbed to the exhaustion clouding her mind. Leaning against the soft cushions, she fell into a deep sleep.

Seeing this, Yu Chang subconsciously moved closer, wanting to watch over her Senior Sister as she always did. However, just as she rose, Sheng Huan raised a hand to stop her.

“Ning’er has just fallen asleep. Do not disturb her rest,” Sheng Huan’s voice was soft, yet it carried an unmistakable tone of authority.

Yu Shang bit her lip and whispered, “I do not need Your Highness to remind me. I have no intention of disturbing her; I only wish to stay by her side.”

“High-level defensive restrictions are set here. It is safe.”

As soon as Sheng Huan finished speaking, a sharp, piercing shriek suddenly erupted from outside the carriage.

Yu Chang’s back stiffened instantly. Alerted, she directed a sharp gaze at the composed woman. “Is this what Your Highness calls ‘safe’?”

Unfazed, Sheng Huan flicked her finger, and a gentle spiritual light instantly enveloped Shi Yining, isolating her from all external noise.

Having done this, she looked at the guarded Yu Shang, her tone remaining flat. “We are passing through Ghost Howl Ridge. Yin energy gathers here, and strange noises are common. It is nothing to be surprised by.”

Yu Shang remained silent, though her guard did not drop.

The night passed quickly. As the light of the second day began to dawn, Shi Yining woke from her deep slumber to the sound of a bustling crowd outside.

“We have arrived.” Sheng Huan gently helped her up. “This is the Imperial City.”

Lifting the carriage curtain, everything within sight was a landscape of jade towers and magnificent pavilions.

Buildings with green-tiled roofs and upturned eaves were everywhere. The streets were wide enough for ten carriages to drive abreast, lined with shops and teeming with cultivators in diverse attire.

Further away, the Nine-Fold Palace rose majestically, surrounded by spiritual mist. Occasional flocks of immortal cranes flew past, leaving behind melodious cries.

The phoenix-patterned carriage slowly descended into the wide courtyard of the Imperial Princess’s Manor. Shi Yining stepped out of the carriage, her gaze inadvertently sweeping toward the depths of the courtyard—and then she froze.

A figure dressed in black stood silently beneath a pear blossom tree, hands behind her back, gazing at the blooming flowers. Her silhouette was as upright as bamboo, her dark hair flowing down, partially secured at the back of her head with a single jade hairpin.

The morning light filtered through the branches, falling upon her shoulders. Time seemed to freeze at this moment. Shi Yining stood paralyzed, unconsciously holding her breath.

In the depths of her memory, that blurred figure gradually merged with the person before her eyes.

A stinging pain blossomed in her chest, as if something was gripping it tightly.

The person under the pear tree seemed to sense her presence and slowly turned around.

The moment their eyes met, Shi Yining clearly saw the surge of complex emotions in the other’s eyes… there was surprise, trepidation, and even more so, a long-suppressed longing.

“Ning’er…”

The familiar call reached her ears and fell upon her heart.

Shi Yining’s heart trembled violently.

In terms of appearance, the person before her was identical to Jiang Liuyue.

She had left Xigui Peak without saying goodbye, only to end up in the Tiansheng Dynasty… No, she remembered that person once saying that another “her” existed in this world…

Sheng Huan stepped down from the carriage and forcefully blocked Yu Chang, who wanted to step forward to stay by her Senior Sister’s side. Her beautiful eyes turned toward the woman standing tall beneath the pear tree.

“I have brought the person. Whether you can restore Ning’er’s memory now depends on your own skill, Fellow Daoist Mo. I shall take Fellow Daoist Yu to tour the side villa.”

“Thank you, Your Highness,” a clear, cold voice rang out, instantly snapping Shi Yining out of her wandering thoughts.

Yu Chang was “forced” to leave with Sheng Huan. In the blink of an eye, only the two of them remained in the vast courtyard.

Shu Mo walked slowly toward the person she had thought of day and night. She moved carefully, as if every step was treading the line between past memories and present anxiety.

At this moment, she no longer possessed the cold self-restraint others usually saw in her.

Shi Yining watched the approaching figure, her mind in a trance, seemingly unable to distinguish whether this moment was a dream or reality…

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