The meeting room that had not been used since Elder Shan had been alive was slowly filled to the brim again. The elders sat around the table, while two men and one woman stood off to the side with their heads lowered.
Qin Siyi stood off to the side, her expression gloomy as she listened to Shan Yu’s speech.
As Gui Yin and Langxia had predicted, the entire ordeal was wrapped up in a total of eight days. However, the aftermath was far messier than anyone could have imagined. One of Shan Yu’s granduncles, her uncle, and his wife, were found to be the ones who had tampered with the matrixes around Zhengyang Shan Sect. Thankfully, because Shan Yu’s cousin had found out about their deeds and had caved at the last minute, they managed to find the final breach that would have destroyed the entire city. But because the leak had already started, a greater part of their crops for the oncoming year had been destroyed.
The immediate situation was dealt with, but now they had to wrestle with the fact that they had to reach out to other sects for help.
If it had been an era under Shan Yu’s grandfather, then such a thing would not have been a worry. However, with a change of leadership came a change of alliances. The others remained friendly with the Zhengyang Shan Sect on the surface, but Shan Yu and the others knew what sort of thoughts they harbored in their hearts. If word of in fighting broke out, not only would they use this chance to cut ties with the Zhengyang Shan Sect, they might even take advantage of the situation and try to take parts of their territory.
Qin Siyi closed her eyes and let out a long sigh. She glared at the three people on stage but still could not figure out what their deal was.
Shan Yu and her cousin, Shan Bojun, had spent hours interrogating the three people, but they had either remained silent or claimed that they didn’t remember what came over them, even though they admitted to their crime. Once the interrogation session was over, Shan Yu and Shan Bojun only came out more confused. But things couldn’t be delayed any longer.
Shan Yu called a meeting to discuss what should be done with the three traitors.
“We have to keep them,” another of Shan Yu’s granduncles said. He glanced at his brother and sighed in shame. “I am not saying this because of familial love. I think they still know more than they’re letting on. If we let them go, the outcome might be unthinkable.”
“I agree,” someone else said. They looked at the three people with mild disgust and turned to Shan Yu. There was a rare look of sympathy. “However, Sect Leader, it is up to you how you deal with them. They were trying to usurp your position and authority at the expense of our people. Such an act is unforgivable.”
Murmurs of agreement passed through the elders and higher members of the sect.
Shan Yu sighed. She turned to her granduncle unsurely. This was a man who had doted on her alongside her own grandfather. When her grandfather was still alive, he had been his closest brother. In the end, had it all been fake? Had he been jealous of his little brother this entire time?
Shan Yu’s mother, Su Yingyun, glanced at her daughter. She pursed her lips and softly cleared her throat. The entire room turned to the elegant woman.
“The meeting has gone on for a while,” Su Yingyun said. “I’m sure we’re all tired. How about we stop for now and meet again once our hearts have settled a little?”
Shan Yu hummed. She looked up at the elders. “Meeting dismissed.”
The adults glanced at each other unsurely but slowly stood, bid their farewells to the sect leader, and left. The three prisoners were taken away by the guards. Shan Yu didn’t spare them a second glance.
“Are you okay?” Shan Bojun asked once everyone was gone. He sat down on the table and glared at where the three prisoners had been taken away. “I still can’t believe it. Second Granduncle has always been an upright man—he can’t be covering for his son, right?”
Madam Su sighed and pinched her brows. “You kids don’t know, but in the past, your Second Granduncle was the one who fought hardest to inherit the sect leader’s position. But after he lost, he accepted it graciously. I never expected him to have a wolf’s heart.”
Qin Siyi stood silently beside Shan Yu and gave her shoulder a squeeze.
Shan Yu leaned back slightly. Her head touched Qin Siyi’s arm and she pinched at her fingers. “I just don’t understand. They admitted to the crime, but they keep claiming they acted on their own.”
“You don’t believe them?” Shan Bojun asked. He shook his head. “I suppose it’s difficult to believe, but what else is there to say? They were just vying for your position.”
“I suppose,” Shan Yu muttered.
Qin Siyi glanced at Shan Yu, then turned to Shan Bojun and Madam Su. “I think A-Yu’s tired. Maybe we should also conclude for today.”
Madam Su hummed. She gave her daughter a gentle pat on the head and snuck a grateful smile to Qin Siyi. Shan Bojun patted Qin Siyi’s back and tilted his chin at Shan Yu, as if to tell Qin Siyi to keep a closer eye on his cousin. Once these two people left as well, Shan Yu slammed her fist on the table.
“A-Yu…”
“You feel it too, don’t you?” Shan Yu said. She looked up at Qin Siyi with an unrelenting expression. “I know my granduncle. He isn’t this kind of person. He must have been spurred on by a villain. They’ve always been so kind to me…and to sacrifice an entire city? Don’t you think it’s too much?”
Qin Siyi pursed her lips. She didn’t know what kind of person her granduncle was, but it seemed like everyone else already believed he did it. The man himself did not deny anything, so where was Shan Yu’s doubt stemming from?
Still, Qin Siyi somehow had a gut feeling that the entire situation wasn’t so simple. She remembered the thought she had not too long ago and sat down.
“A-Yu, did you ever find out why reinforcements couldn’t reach your grandfather in time?”
Shan Yu’s eyes slowly widened. “Are you saying—”
“I’m not trying to say anything. I’m only asking,” Qin Siyi said. She pursed her lips. “I’ve been thinking about it and this entire situation is odd. Not just the battle at Devil’s Desert, but the one at Beihua Town and everywhere across the lower realm. Duan-shixiong had requested for the monks to be arrested, but they still hadn’t come by the time the border broke out. Reinforcements arrived, but they clearly weren’t enough in number nor in strength. It felt like the entire Upper Realm was laughing at us as our Yunjing Pavilion struggled. Don’t you think that’s weird?”
Shan Yu frowned. “You think there was a mole?”
“I hope not,” Qin Siyi muttered.
Shan Yu thought about it and nodded. “I’ll look into the situation about the battle at Devil’s Desert. I believe that when they received the news, they had thought it would have been an easy win.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Qin Siyi’s gaze sharpened. “Did someone tamper with the correspondence then?”
Ktf akb sbecu kbwfc ofii rlifca.
“We have to tell Shizun,” Shan Yu finally said.
Hlc Vlsl rtbkfv j vloolmeia fzqgfrrlbc. “Glvc’a tf ifjnf obg Tlcofcu Njiifs? Gb sbe atlcx tf’r gfaegcfv?”
“Qf mjc ub mtfmx,” Vtjc Te rjlv.
Hlc Vlsl ibbxfv ja Vtjc Te klat j gjlrfv ygbk.
Shan Yu slowly withered under Qin Siyi’s scrutinization. “W-what? This is serious business, Shijie! I should go along with you!”
“Tbe atlcx P vbc’a xcbk sbe? Tbe’gf pera agslcu ab gec boo jujlc. Ktf rlaejalbc tfgf wluta yf rfaaifv, yea la’r cba vbcf,” Hlc Vlsl jr rtf qlcmtfv Vtjc Te’r cbrf.
Shan Yu let out a loud groan. She tugged her head back from Qin Siyi and pouted for a moment before throwing herself at Qin Siyi. She wrapped her arms around Qin Siyi’s waist and pouted as she rubbed her head against her stomach.
“Shijie, are you really going to leave me alone though? You know how I am right now. I need your love and support, you—”
Shan Yu was suddenly pushed back. She blinked ahead in shock. Her hands hung in midair as she slowly looked up at Qin Siyi. The confusion on her face was clear. Her shock was palpable. Her lips moved speechlessly a few times as Qin Siyi quickly spoke.
“You’re grown now. How can you go around neglecting your responsibilities?”
“But I—”
“Not buts!” Qin Siyi said. She gathered herself and huffed, her body already turning away. “You stay here and figure out what happened at Devil’s Desert. I’ll go back to Shuangye Peak and talk to Shizun.”
“Wait, Shijie—”
“I’ll be back in a few days!”
Qin Siyi stomped out of the building.
She had held herself together pretty well, but the further away from the room she got, the warmer her face became. Her steps slowed and she eventually found a tree to hide behind. She let out a loud sigh and sank to the ground, her hands cupping her face. She tried to take a few deep breaths to calm herself, but her heart didn’t want to listen.
“What the hell,” Qin Siyi mumbled. She shook her head adamantly as her heart pounded. She stood steadily and took another deep breath.
After recovering from how flustered she was, Qin Siyi was suddenly embarrassed. She fell against the tree silently and held her forehead.
“What the hell,” Qin Siyi groaned.
This couldn’t be happening, right? This was just a dream, right?
…But even if it was a dream, wasn’t this bad!?
As the old saying goes, what one dreams about in the night is what they think about in the day. If Qin Siyi really did dream up such a scenario, then that still meant that she…she…towards Shan Yu she…
Qin Siyi snapped her head away from the thought. “No, no, no…Shizun. I have to look for Shizun first.”
As Qin Siyi hurriedly ran off, she failed to see the figure watching her from not too far away. Shan Yu pursed her lips in a small smirk and giggled. She held her hands behind her back and happily skipped back into the sect.
When Qin Siyi returned to Shuangye Peak, the cold wind had blown her back to reality.
In fact, was it that hard to accept?
After all, Shan Yu had been with her at her lowest. And in the past few days, Qin Siyi was shown a side of Shan Yu that she never even new existed. To develop a bit of those feelings was only natural. And it was a passing fancy! It should be a passing fancy, right? There’s no way Qin Siyi could fall for Shan Yu. Shan Yu was her—
“Whoa there.”
Qin Siyi snapped out of her thoughts. She looked at the arm against her stomach and quickly looked up at the man at her side.
Gui Yin stepped back once he made sure Qin Siyi was steadily on her feet. He clicked his tongue and snapped his fan open. “Siyi, are you okay? It’s not like you to nearly walk into the pond.”
Qin Siyi awkwardly glanced at the pond next to them. She cupped her hands together and greeted him. “Shizun, you’re back?”
“…I’ve been back for a whole day,” Gui Yin said. He looked at Qin Siyi oddly. “What’s on your mind?”
“Um…” Qin Siyi shifted awkwardly from foot to foot. She lowered her head. “It’s not important.”
“Not important?” Gui Yin narrowed his eyes. He hummed for a moment before nodding. “Alright, then we don’t have to talk about it. How did things go with your shimei.”
“M-My shimei?” Qin Siyi blurted out. Her face had paled as she stared at Gui Yin.
Gui Yin fanned himself as his expression became even more complicated. “Yes…your shimei. Shan Yu?”
“W-what about her?”
“…You two returned to Zhengyang, did you not?” Gui Yin said. “Er’lang said you two were dealing with a flood or something.”
“Oh…oh, yes. We…it’s dealt with.”
Gui Yin popped his lips and slowly nodded. He hesitated for a moment before asking, “Did something happen between you and—”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“Nothing at all. Really,” Qin Siyi said.
Gui Yin was getting a very odd sense of déjà vu.
“Oh…alright. Then, where is she?”
“She…remained in Zhengyang. She still has some things to take care of,” Qin Siyi said. She was silent for a moment before abruptly looking up at Gui Yin.
Gui Yin flinched at the sudden movement and stared at her with wide eyes.
“Right! I—This disciple came back to tell you something, Shizun!”
“Oh…go ahead,” Gui Yin nodded.
Qin Siyi stared blankly at Gui Yin.
Even without seeing what was going on in her head, Gui Yin could see the numerous thoughts flickering through her eyes. He sighed and lightly knocked her head with his fan.
“Ah…”
“Go get some rest. I won’t be going anywhere any time soon,” Gui Yin sighed.
Qin Siyi hummed. She stood there awkwardly for a moment before looking around. “Shizun, where’s Sun-shushu?”
Gui Yin froze. He looked back at her quizzically. “Why are you asking such a thing?”
“Because he’s usually stuck to you,” Qin Siyi said.
The two people stared at each other, as if they couldn’t comprehend each other’s thought process. Gui Yin shook his head.
“What are you saying? Your Sun-shushu has his own life. How could he be with me twenty-four-seven? You get some rest. You’re really out of it today.”
Qin Siyi was left stunned as Gui Yin headed for Ye Liuxing’s peak.
Spring was a season of harvesting. Because of this, it was Ye Liuxing’s most busy season. Although he didn’t personally brave the fields for most of the herbs, there was still a great chunk that grew in his back garden that could only be dug out with a proper amount of control and spiritual energy.
He had been harvesting these spiritual herbs for days now. His back hurt. His mind was numb. Jiu Jingyi hadn’t visited him recently because of an upcoming discussion conference or other. He was bored out of his mind and he was thinking about ending it all.
Ye Liuxing sighed loudly and sat down. He stared at the spiritual herbs in front of him and glared at them.
“I told you all to grow to be fat and healthy, but did I tell you to reach your roots so far down? Now look! I can’t even dig you out,” Ye Liuxing scolded. He clicked his tongue as the plants leaves drooped. “Sulking now? What? Saying it isn’t your fault? A person—ah, no, you’re a plant. A plant should have a sense of measure! What are you going to do when you go off to your new homes? What if your masters get annoyed with you?”
Ye Liuxing observed the plants and softly shook his head. “It’s my fault for spoiling you all so much.”
It takes a hundred years for these spiritual herbs to grow. At the end of those hundred years, they would be shipped off to various sects who need their leaves and flowers and roots. It was a long and arduous process. As a plant lover, how could Ye Liuxing not grow attached? But this attachment often led to him to overfeeding or spoiling these plants of his.
He had received many complaints that, although his plants produced the most potent products, they were still a lot needier than the ones others grew.
Ye Liuxing pouted as he played with the leaves on one of the plants. He lowered his voice. “How about we don’t export you guys this time around? It’ll save me the effort and save your future owners money.”
The plants swayed happily. Ye Liuxing grinned and was about to decide it on his own when his head was met with a blunt smack.
“Ah! Who’s hitting me?!” Ye Liuxing turned around. His eyes widened eagerly as he bounced up. He grinned. “Shixiong.”
“What’s this? Not exporting them?” Gui Yin raised a brow. He scoffed. “Ye-shidi, don’t you know that, right now more than ever, our Yunjing Pavilion actually needs money?”
“I was just joking. Joking,” Ye Liuxing softly said. He glanced at the plants a little longingly before he guided Gui Yin away. “You’re back so quickly! Did it go well?”
“It went well. Apparently, we busted part of their plan too, so better than expected,” Gui Yin said with a satisfied nod.
“As expected of Gui-shixiong,” Ye Liuxing grinned. He paused for a moment and looked about as they settled down at the gazebo. “Um, is Palace Lord Sun joining us later?”
“What? No, he isn’t here.”
“He isn’t here? He didn’t come back with you?”
“He got a bit injured, so he’s recovering,” Gui Yin said.
Ye Liuxing hummed. “I thought it was odd that I didn’t see him around.”
Gui Yin raised a brow. “What are you saying?”
“He seems quite attached to you,” Ye Liuxing said. “During the war, he even put two of his attendants on you. And while you were gone, he sent one to watch over Yunjing Pavilion. He seems quite sincere.”
“Sincere. We aren’t—”
“Did you bring an attendant back with you this time?”
“…He’s at Shuangye Peak,” Gui Yin awkwardly said.
Ye Liuxing gave Gui Yin a knowing smile, which was returned with a disgusted look.
“Stop. It really isn’t like that,” Gui Yin said. He fanned himself. “It’s just a passing interest is all. Wait, no, I shouldn’t say that. It was a passing interest. Now, we’re good friends.”
“Was passing interest?”
“He was just curious about me,” Gui Yin said. He thought about Langxia’s abilities and felt that it was probably better to keep them secret. “He learned about me from somewhere and we bumped into each other a few times. I suppose whatever he heard caught his interest, so he started pestering me ever since.”
“That’s all?”
“That’s all.”
Ye Liuxing clicked his tongue. “I don’t believe it.”
Gui Yin glanced at him.
“You still never told us about what happened to you those years,” Ye Liuxing said, “But if Palace Lord Sun was faithfully waiting for you to return the entire time and looking for you everywhere, doesn’t that mean he’s a little more than interested?”
Gui Yin was not swayed by Ye Liuxing’s words. For some reason or other, Langxia had known he would be intertwined with Gui Yin. That was the only reason he was so desperate to get him back. As for why he couldn’t just let him go, Gui Yin had no explanation. It was far before their souls were connected, so it wasn’t like Gui Yin’s death truly meant Langxia’s death. But when Gui Yin recalled the serious expression on Langxia’s face the first time he mentioned their shared fate, Gui Yin just decided to believe him.
Besides…
Gui Yin sighed. “He can’t like me.”
“What? Why?”
“His emotional root is defective. He can experience some emotions, but not others. Love in the romantic sense is one of them,” Gui Yin said.
Ye Liuxing stared at Gui Yin. “My goodness.”
“Exactly, so—”
“Despite that, he still loves you!”
Gui Yin felt a headache coming on.
If Ye Liuxing was already acting like this without having known the full story, how would he react once he told everything to him and Jiu Jingyi?
i felt bad for like 30 seconds that Shan Yu was left behind, and then “a small smirk and giggle” alxhakxj YOUNG LASS, YOU KNOW WHAT YOURE DOING AKCHSJXHSJXB Qin Siyi, good f-cking luck…. also good luck to Shan Yu figuring out the best course of action cause geeze;;;
also Ye Liuxing is killing me akxbsjxbs