Chapter 66

“I apologize for being presumptuous, but do you have feelings for me?” 

Lou Wuhua asked straightforwardly, causing Elder Chayue’s fingers, which were holding onto her clothes, tightened a little, and a faint blush crept up her ears, completely replacing her tears.

After a while, Lou Wuhua saw her slowly nodding.

Indeed, Elder Chayue have feelings for her, and it had been a long time ago, back when Lou Wuhua herself still had feelings for Su Lingyu.

During that time, Lou Wuhua was not as focused on closed-door cultivation as she is now. She would frequently come to Xianmeng Sect to see Su Lingyu, always finding various excuses, such as having good wine or medicine.

However, she was always unceremoniously expelled from the Tailing Peak by Su Lingyu, and sometimes even expelled from the Xianmeng Sect.

After being kicked off of the Tailing Peak, she didn’t rush back but instead went to chat with Elder Changxing.

At that time, Elder Chayue had some matters to consult Elder Changxing about, so she saw Lou Wuhua quite often, but they were never as close as Elder Changxing was with Lou Wuhua. Even when they sat across from each other, there was always a considerable distance between them.

In Elder Chayue’s impression, Lou Wuhua was an interesting person. Even when Su Lingyu ruthlessly drove her off Tailing Peak, she remained composed, casually brushing off the snowflakes from her clothes with a smile, then continued to happily drink and chat with Elder Changxing.

Whenever she came to consult Elder Changxing, Lou Wuhua would sensibly keep quiet and silently give them space, turning to feed deer and cranes without being a nuisance, occasionally helping her with some questions.

Yet, even with this, their relationship didn’t progress any further.

However, under these circumstances, Elder Chayue secretly developed feelings for her.

She still remembered that day when Lou Wuhua came with good wine as usual, only to be rejected by Su Lingyu once again. Then, as usual, she came to find Elder Changxing to drink and chat.

When Lou Wuhua saw her, she gently lifted a white porcelain wine cup, and a glint of light shimmered in her eyes. The smile of her lips seemed to be infused with the fragrance of the rich wine in her hands, captivating anyone who saw it.

Lou Wuhua chuckled softly and asked, “Elder Chayue, you’ve come. Care for some wine?”

In that instant, Elder Chayue’s mind was in chaos, her heart pounding wildly, feeling an unprecedented nervousness, and even forgetting why she came there in the first place. She turned and fled in panic.

After that, she rarely saw Lou Wuhua…

She never had the courage to face Lou Wuhua, until the day Su Lingyu asked her to help with Qu Panyan. That was when she finally decided to gather her courage and meet Lou Wuhua.

At least…she wanted to become her friend.

Little did she know that when she actually saw Lou Wuhua, she couldn’t even find the right words to say. Even her old problem of getting nervous and tearing up when facing people from her childhood came back—even revealing her thoughts to Lou Wuhua.

Feeling down, Elder Chayue kept her head low while Lou Wuhua stood and looked at her. Suddenly, Lou Wuhua asked, “Am I good-looking?”

Elder Chayue was taken aback but still replied, “You’re good-looking.” Extremely beautiful.

Lou Wuhua had a beautiful face, a pair of enchanting phoenix eyes, a hint of carefree charm, and a bit of alluring mischief.

Elder Chayue thought that if Lou Wuhua wished, there would be no one she couldn’t captivate—except for the aloof Su Lingyu.

The two of them were indeed quite extraordinary…

After receiving the answer, Lou Wuhua suddenly reached out and supported Elder Chayue’s chin, gently lifting her face.

Elder Chayue saw the glimmer in Lou Wuhua’s eyes, just as bright and captivating as they were in the past.

Lou Wuhua chuckled lightly and said, “Since I’m good-looking, wouldn’t Elder Chayue like to look at me more?”

Suddenly, they seemed to engage in a staring contest, and Elder Chayue’s breath hitched. Her face “burned” with a crimson flush once again, entering a highly nervous state. Tears welled up at the corner of her eyes once more, unable to be restrained.

In Lou Wuhua’s eyes, Elder Chayue now looked like a delicate morning flower adorned with dew—beautiful yet fragile.

Not adept at dealing with a woman’s tears, Lou Wuhua simply used her fingers to wipe away the tears as she said, “Shouldn’t you feel happy when you see someone you like?”

Elder Chayue’s eyelashes trembled as she softly and guiltily said, “…I’m sorry.”

“I will try to improve.”

Just like an obedient and lovable teenage girl.

Lou Wuhua thought to herself: quite adorable.

“Okay, let’s pinky promise.” Lou Wuhua extended her pinky towards Elder Chayue, half coaxing and half smiling, “If you can’t do it, then you’re not allowed to like me anymore, okay?”

Elder Chayue was taken aback, and a smile couldn’t help but appear on her lips, “Sect Leader Lou, are you…not bothered by it?”

Lou Wuhua smiled and said, “A beauty’s tears are so precious. Elder Chayue is willing to cry for me, why would I be bothered by it?”

A once cold and aloof Elder, who now cries as soon as she sees me because she likes me, it’s quite…strange and amusing?

Once she no longer has to deal with Elder Chayue’s tears, she would then consider Elder Chayue’s affection. Such a cute little…elder, she will definitely handle it with care.

Elder Chayue immediately hooked her pinky around Lou Wuhua’s and firmly declared, “Sect Leader Lou, rest assured, I will definitely achieve it!”

She also secretly made up her mind to thank the Sect Master for the matchmaking and ensure she helps the Sect Master’s wife unveil the mysteries regarding the Divine Beasts!

Lou Wuhua’s matter was resolved quickly with Qu Panyan helping to dry the tears. Not only did Elder Chayue stop crying, but she also made a pinky promise with Lou Wuhua.

Qu Panyan felt that she had nothing else to do here, so she bid her farewell and left.

---

As the evening fell, two soft knocks sounded outside the door. Kang Congshuang was about to get out of bed to open it, but Ling’er immediately stood up and rushed to the door, saying, “I’ll go.”

Afraid that if she delayed in rushing out, Kang Congshuang would get out of bed to open the door herself, Ling’er hurriedly ran to the door and opened it.

Qu Panyan saw Ling’er and immediately asked, “Is Second Miss Kang here?”

Hearing the familiar voice, Kang Congshuang responded, “Madam Su, please come in.”

Qu Panyan entered the room and saw Kang Congshuang was about to uncover the blanket and get out of bed, assuming she wanted to show proper courtesy. Qu Panyan quickly stopped her, saying, “Don’t move, lie back down.”

Kang Congshuang paused and obediently lay back. Qu Panyan nodded in satisfaction, approached the bed, and asked with concern, “How do you feel? Is it better than before?”

Kang Congshuang leaned against the bed rail and shook her head, “No.”

Besides feeling less painful during the attacks and being able to sleep, her condition hadn’t improved; in fact, it had become more severe.

Ling’er closed the door and walked over, standing beside them with a worried look. She said, “Ah Shuang, you had another attack just now.”

“Just now?” Qu Panyan’s expression couldn’t help but turn serious. Was Kang Congshuang’s illness becoming so frequent that she had two attacks in a single day?

Heaven seemed to be in a hurry to take her life…

Seeing Qu Panyan’s solemn expression, Kang Congshuang softened her smile and comforted, “Everything is fated. Madam Su, you don’t need to worry about me.” Her smile carried a hint of desolation, “Even in death, I won’t be lonely under Nine Springs. I have many disciples from the Kang Clan to accompany me, which is quite nice.”

Ling’er emotionally said, “You won’t die!”

“Ah Shuang, you won’t die! I and the Madam will definitely cure you!”

Qu Panyan also echoed, “Yes, we will cure you. I’ll go and bring A Yiduo here to use her Heavenly Fire to heal you. If she refuses, we’ll take her Heavenly Fire by force and let you become the Holy Child in her place.”

Ling’er looked at her seriously, seemingly pondering something.

Kang Congshuang looked back at Qu Panyan, and they both saw the smile gradually spreading in each other’s eyes. “If the opportunity arises, I’d be more than willing to serve the Skyfire Tribe,” Kang Congshuang said.

Kang Congshuang was the second senior sister in the sect, not only providing guidance to the disciples but occasionally helping them correct their bad behaviors to prevent irreversible mistakes or damage to the sect’s reputation.

A Yiduo, on the other hand, was the worst junior sister Kang Congshuang had ever encountered, both in personality and behavior. She was extremely unruly and demanded others to obey her.

For someone as stubborn and arrogant as her, one needed to take away her sense of superiority to teach her a lesson and make her treat others as equals.

Sooner or later, she would realize that without her Heavenly Fire, she was nothing.

Qu Panyan also smiled back at Kang Congshuang. 

There would never be a shortage of people willing to make trouble for A Yiduo.

Kang Congshuang softened her playful smile and turned her head to look at Ling’er. Suddenly, she sighed, “Miss Ling’er, I hope your horns can shed soon.” As soon as possible while she was still alive.

Ling’er was currently a small dragon, and shedding her current horns and growing new ones would signify that she had matured. However, before shedding her horns, all dragonkind would experience a period of pain, whether short or long. If there was no destined person to help alleviate the pain, it would be very difficult to endure.

Ling’er couldn’t help touching the veil on her head. Her current horns were ugly and small, so she wore a veil to barely cover them. But once she shed her current horns, she would grow beautiful new ones and would then be able to marry Kang Congshuang—her destined partner.

Touching her horns through the veil, Ling’er earnestly said, “Horns, shed away, so I can marry Ah Shuang.”

Both Kang Congshuang and Qu Panyan’s expressions changed; the former turned serious, the latter surprised.

Kang Congshuang solemnly said, “You can’t.”

Ling’er blinked, tilting her head, and asked, “Why not?”

Kang Congshuang replied, “There’s no reason.”

Ling’er looked serious and said, “But my Father King and Mother Queen said so. Ling’er should marry someone who could make the pain in my horns go away.”

Father King and Mother Queen?

Qu Panyan was shocked: she’s actually a little princess!

Kang Congshuang: “…”

She didn’t expect that Ling’er had been taught all these things by her Father King and Mother Queen. What kind of messy traditions did their dragon race have?

Kang Congshuang composed herself and calmly said to Ling’er, “You should marry someone you love, someone who can make you happy for a lifetime. Do you understand?”

Ling’er looked at her seriously again and said, “I love Ah Shuang, and I want to marry her.”

Kang Congshuang didn’t delve into her understanding of “love.” Ling’er was naive and inexperienced, and she hadn’t learned many basic things, so how could she understand the complexities of emotions?

Kang Congshuang could only use the simplest words to reject her, “I can’t make you happy, nor can I accompany you for a lifetime.”

She wasn’t Ling’er’s true partner, nor was she a suitable match for anyone. Being with her would only lead to disappointment and leave her alone in this world.

“You will,” Ling’er shook her head, leaned on the bed, held Kang Congshuang’s hand, and looked into her eyes with determination, “I will ensure that Ah Shuang accompanies me for a lifetime.”

Kang Congshuang withdrew her hand back and avoided looking at her.

She had once yearned for love but quickly let go of it. Because of the raging illness within her, she was destined to be unable to stay with her beloved for a lifetime. Therefore, she gave up, not wanting to get even a fleeting moment of it.

She was afraid—afraid that once emotions entangled her, they would greedily extend into a lifetime, making it difficult to extricate herself.

Ling’er was still young, and there were many better prospects waiting for her ahead. There was no need to stay stuck in this limited time with her as a withering tree.

Ling’er’s outstretched hand now feeling empty and noticing that Kang Congshuang coldly turned her gaze away, Ling’er hesitated and reached out again, carefully trying to grab Kang Congshuang’s quilt, looking at her with sorrowful eyes.

But Kang Congshuang paid no attention, directly brushing away her hand while saying, “Miss Ling’er, please leave.”

Ling’er didn’t want to go and was about to plead softly when she heard Kang Congshuang say, “If you don’t leave now, I’ll get angry.”

Without saying a word, Ling’er turned around and left.

Qu Panyan watched Ling’er’s desolate figure disappear at the door and couldn’t help but sigh. She then asked, “How did you meet her?”

“Found her actually.” Kang Congshuang gazed into the empty air. “When I was investigating those villages, I heard someone crying. That’s when I found her.”

Kang Congshuang followed the sound of her crying and found her. The frail girl was tightly hugging herself, sitting huddled in a corner, her crying voice was heart-wrenching.

Kang Congshuang couldn’t help but touch her head gently and asked softly, “Miss, is there anything you need help with?”

Ling’er pointed to the veil on her head and cried out in pain. Kang Congshuang raised her hand and released her wood spirit power, trying to relieve her pain, and to her surprise, her wood spirit power actually helped ease her pain.

Gradually, Ling’er’s crying weakened, and when she finally opened her eyes, she gazed at Kang Congshuang with a pair of beautiful amber-like eyes, blinking non-stop and looking dazed.

Once the pain was gone, Ling’er withdrew her gaze, touched the veil, and softly said to her, “Thank you, my horns, it doesn’t hurt anymore…”

After that, Ling’er followed them closely, fully trusting Kang Congshuang and having revealed her own identity to her.

Qu Panyan didn’t offer any comments or opinions after hearing the story, she just stood up, patted Kang Congshuang’s hand, and advised, “Rest well, don’t dwell on unnecessary things.”

“I will do my best to cure you.”

Kang Congshuang raised her eyelids to look at her: “You—” 

Qu Panyan interrupted her, saying, “It’s not just for you, but also for my Qu family.”

If they really let someone like A Yiduo become the Saintess, wouldn’t it spell disaster for the Qu family?

Seeing that Qu Panyan didn’t sound like she was joking, Kang Congshuang spoke seriously, “Then you have to be careful, don’t get into any trouble. You still have the Sect Master, as well as your sister and brother. You mustn’t have any accidents, do you understand?”

Qu Panyan smiled, changed the topic, and asked, “If you really get cured, would you consider accepting Miss Ling’er’s affection?”

Kang Congshuang was momentarily stunned by the question and pondered for a moment before giving her answer, “Yes.”

If she could live like a normal person, she would naturally try things she had never dared to hope for before.

Suddenly, a head popped out at the door, and a pair of watery eyes blinked at them, “I heard that.”

Ling’er carefully leaned against the door, her voice determined, “It will definitely get cured!”

I must marry Ah Shuang!

Kang Congshuang quickly turned her head away, while Qu Panyan smiled and instructed her to rest well. Then, she walked out, closed the door, and took Ling’er to find Yue Xiaomeng.

Since Kang Congshuang was still unwilling to accept Ling’er, there was no need to force the issue. They would let Ling’er stay with Yue Xiaomeng for now.

Ling’er held onto Qu Panyan’s clothes and followed her, saying, “You must bring me with you.”

Qu Panyan looked at her sideways, “Hmm?”

Ling’er raised her head, “A Yiduo, didn’t you say you were going to catch her to cure Ah Shuang? You must bring me along.”

Qu Panyan smiled faintly; the young girl had quite a good memory. She replied, “Alright, I will definitely take you with me.”

Ling’er then asked, “When will we go?”

Qu Panyan answered honestly, “I don’t know.”

Ling’er repeated those three words with confusion, and Qu Panyan stopped walking, explaining to her, “A Yiduo is waiting for a Divine Beast. She will only show up when the Divine Beast appears. But Divine Beasts are heavenly creatures, so we don’t know when and where they will appear.”

Ling’er asked, “What should we do then?”

Qu Panyan said, “Wait for an opportunity.”

“Opportunity?” Ling’er was puzzled.

Qu Panyan nodded, trying to make it simple and understandable, “Yes, opportunity is, um… a kind of luck. Once we have this kind of luck, a powerful elder will help us predict where the Divine Beast will descend.”

Ling’er inquired, “Who is this powerful elder?”

Qu Panyan replied, “Elder Chayue from the Tanyue Peak.”

Ling’er seemed to ponder for a moment, as if she understood. She thought she would ask her parents later; maybe they also had this kind of “luck”?

---

When Qu Panyan returned to Tailing Peak, the brilliant stars were already hanging in the sky. Su Lingyu was reclining on the bed, reading a book. Seeing her come back, Su Lingyu put down the book, got off the bed, and asked, “Why did you come back so late?”

Qu Panyan then explained everything in detail to her, including arranging Ling’er to stay with Yue Xiaomeng.

Su Lingyu pulled her into her arms and said, “Madam Su’s decision will prevail.”

Qu Panyan smiled and asked, “Sister Lingyu, have you taken your medicine?”

Su Lingyu nodded.

Qu Panyan noticed that she was only wearing a clean, plain white undergarment and asked in slight surprise, “Have you taken a bath, Sister Lingyu?”

Su Lingyu said, “I cleaned up a bit.” After thinking for a moment, she added, “It was Lingnu who helped me. I didn’t do it myself.”

Damn, I missed the opportunity to help my sister bathe!

Qu Panyan pretended to be unhappy and said, “Sect Master Su, from now on, regarding your body, you must leave it to Madam Su.”

Su Lingyu smiled and nodded. Only then did Qu Panyan show a smile and gently embraced her waist while whispering. “I’ll take a bath first, and then I’ll help Sister Lingyu change the dressing. After that, you should rest, don’t overexert yourself, it’s not good for the wounds.”

Su Lingyu kissed her cheek. “Alright.”

…

At midnight, the bright moon ascended into the clouds, and the night was deep, with the evening breeze felt as cold as ice.

In the layered sea of clouds, two figures suddenly appeared. They stood high above, looking at the brightly lit house on the summit of Tanyue Peak, where Elder Chayue resided.

The moonlight fell on the forehead of one of them, reflecting the beautiful dragon horns with a dazzling brilliance, like a constellation.

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Translator: Glariosa
Editor: iToon

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