Chapter 97: A Troubled Heart
Dark clouds gathered, casting a shadow over the town.
Bai Jingxue and Lü Qingyan stood beneath the eaves of a building, waiting for the impending storm.
A clap of thunder echoed through the air, and dark spots began to appear on the ground, their numbers increasing, their density growing.
Lü Qingyan reached out a hand, catching a raindrop. The coolness against her palm made her shiver, but she was in a good mood.
She had retained her ears and tail. She had discovered that Jingxue enjoyed petting her ears, although Jingxue would never admit it.
She wagged her tail, a mischievous glint in her eyes. She suddenly wanted to walk in the rain, sheltered by an umbrella.
But there were no umbrellas here. She often forgot that she was a demon in this life.
Remembering this, she snapped her fingers, and a barrier formed around her, deflecting the rain.
Ying, carrying the fox, rushed towards them, seeking shelter beneath the eaves.
Bai Jingxue moved aside, making space for them.
For some reason, Ying hadn’t used a spell to shield herself from the rain. Her pale pink hair, darkened by the water, clung to her face, her usual vibrant energy replaced by a somber stillness. She resembled a beautiful water spirit.
The fox, however, was dry.
Ying set the fox down, then gathered her hair, squeezing out the water.
Bai Jingxue had noticed that Ying had been unusually quiet lately.
Honestly, the dragon, despite her cluelessness, was a good person: powerful, of pure blood, kind-hearted, and always willing to help.
If this were their past life, Ying would be the kind of person who helped elderly people cross the street, offered her seat on the bus, and turned in lost wallets to the police.
Bai Jingxue couldn’t bear to see her like this. She decided to talk to her.
Another clap of thunder echoed through the air, then, once the sound had faded, Bai Jingxue asked, “Is something bothering you?”
Ying sighed, her honesty surprising. “I think I caused some trouble,” she admitted.
Lü Qingyan’s ears perked up. Her keen sense of smell had detected the scent of gossip.
“Tell us about it,” she said, her voice eager. “Maybe we can help.”
Ying, seeing no harm in sharing, retrieved a mask from her sleeve. It was a white mask, its only openings two eyeholes, with a pair of eyes painted beneath them.
The painted eyes were downcast, their expression mournful.
Bai Jingxue didn’t recognize it, but Lü Qingyan instantly knew what it was.
It was the left envoy’s mask! How did Ying get it?
Lü Qingyan stared at it, her eyes wide with surprise, then Ying’s expression mirrored the mask’s sadness, her voice filled with regret. “I think I messed up,” she said.
As a demon, she didn’t care about the conflict between the righteous and demon realms. She didn’t enjoy killing. She only resorted to violence when provoked.
So she had released the left envoy, but she had accidentally picked up the mask the left envoy had dropped.
The mask was unusual. It seemed to reflect its owner’s emotions. Ying had watched as its expression had shifted from anger to sadness.
She guessed it was because of what had happened that day. She had initially dismissed it, but now, she felt a pang of guilt.
Humans and demons were different. She felt responsible.
But the left envoy had revealed so little about herself. Even her appearance might have been a disguise.
Bai Jingxue, listening to Ying’s story, realized that the events in that storybook were starting to unfold.
But there was no need to be sad. According to the story, their relationship was a classic enemies-to-lovers trope. No matter how tumultuous their journey, the ending would be happy.
She wasn’t in the mood to comfort a lovesick dragon. “You’ll see her again,” she said. “You can talk to her then.”
She turned to see Lü Qingyan, her expression troubled, and she asked, her voice laced with concern, “What’s wrong?”
Lü Qingyan grabbed Bai Jingxue’s hand, pulling her into their room. She cast a soundproofing spell.
She pushed Bai Jingxue onto a chair, then poured herself a cup of tea, gulping it down.
She gasped for air, her voice filled with a horrified realization. “That mask belongs to the left envoy.”
Bai Jingxue wasn’t familiar with the left envoy. “What’s so strange about that?” she asked, her brow furrowed.
Lü Qingyan slumped onto the chair beside her, her expression miserable. “It’s just weird,” she said. “It’s like seeing two people from completely different parts of your life suddenly become best friends.”
Bai Jingxue thought for a moment, then said, “Like seeing a childhood friend’s wedding announcement on social media, and realizing their spouse is your college classmate?”
That was a perfect analogy. Lü Qingyan nodded vigorously.
She felt like the world had gone mad. But then again, the world had always been mad. The male lead had been a terrible person.
She shouldn’t have read that book. She had been curious about the overwhelmingly negative reviews.
Everyone else seemed to be finding love, but when would she and Jingxue be together again, like in their past life?
She slumped onto the table, her heart sinking. The Sword Saint, the Demon Lord, even the pink dragon… their fates had already been written.
But what about her?
What would happen to her and Bai Jingxue?
“Jingxue,” she asked, her voice subdued, “the male lead is gone. What do you want to do now?”
Bai Jingxue stared at her. Lü Qingyan’s ears and tail, their movements listless, were a clear indication of her unhappiness.
Was it because of the storm? But Lü Qingyan had always enjoyed the rain.
She had been a cheerful and energetic girl, often rushing out into the rain, her umbrella forgotten. Bai Jingxue had repeatedly scolded her for it.
As for what she wanted to do… Bai Jingxue wasn’t sure. She still felt like something was wrong with this world.
If this was truly the end, she would probably just stay home and sleep.
But…
She glanced at Lü Qingyan, a new plan forming in her mind. She reached out, gently squeezing Lü Qingyan’s ear. “Once everything is settled,” she said, her voice soft, “we’ll fulfill our promise from our past life.”
Their time in university had been the happiest period of their lives. They hadn’t made any grand vows, but they had talked about the future.
They had been naive, their dreams filled with hope. They had wanted to travel the world together, to experience everything it had to offer.
They had wanted to go skiing, bungee jumping, skydiving, and see the ocean.
They hadn’t been able to fulfill those dreams, but perhaps they could in this life.
Lü Qingyan’s eyes lit up, her energy returning. Her previous gloom seemed to have vanished.
“Are you talking about traveling?” she asked, her voice filled with excitement.
Bai Jingxue nodded, her gaze meeting Lü Qingyan’s, her lips curving into a small smile.
Lü Qingyan wagged her tail, eager for that day to arrive.
She had spent a long time planning their trip in their past life, creating a detailed itinerary, but they hadn’t been able to go. This world was different. She would have to start planning again.
She couldn’t sit still any longer. She jumped to her feet, rushing out of the room.
“Jingxue! I’m going to the library!”
Bai Jingxue chuckled, amused by Lü Qingyan’s sudden thirst for knowledge.
The rain had stopped, the dark clouds dissipating, a rainbow arching over the distant mountains, its colors vibrant.
She stepped outside, her gaze drawn to the beautiful scenery, then she noticed Ying, her brow furrowed, her expression mirroring the sadness of the mask in her hand.
She moved away, her voice filled with a genuine appreciation. “It’s beautiful,” she said, her gaze fixed on the rainbow.
Ying, glancing up at Bai Jingxue, thought, “This cat demon is heartless.”
Meanwhile, in the library, Lü Qingyan, with Fu Yuan as her translator, had gathered a stack of books, preparing for a long night of research.
Fu Yuan, staring at the pile, her head spinning, hesitated, then she looked at Lü Qingyan, her voice soft. “Why are you suddenly interested in this?”
Lü Qingyan realized she had a better idea. Instead of reading, she could simply ask.
The Ejian Sect’s inner sect disciples often accepted missions to earn cultivation resources. These missions varied in difficulty and location.
Fu Yuan, before becoming the Sword Saint’s personal chef, had been a frequent mission-taker. She must have traveled extensively.
She quickly explained her purpose. “Sister Fu Yuan, do you know of any interesting places?” she asked. “Or places with beautiful scenery?”
Her eyes sparkled with excitement. “I want to travel with Jingxue someday.”
Fu Yuan, seeing her happy expression, couldn’t help but smile, but the places she had visited had been dangerous.
Wait, Lü Qingyan was already at the Nascent Soul stage.
Realizing this, she slumped onto the table, her previous cheerfulness vanishing, her voice filled with a despair that alarmed Lü Qingyan.
Her translator had collapsed. “What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice frantic.
Fu Yuan covered her ears, her voice a despairing chant. “I’m useless, a worthless burden.”
Lü Qingyan instantly understood, but Fu Yuan’s words and her tone made Lü Qingyan blurt out, “You’re a girl, a beautiful girl.”
She immediately covered her mouth, her cheeks burning.
But Fu Yuan suddenly stood up, her voice firm. “I need to accept more missions,” she said. “I can’t slack off. I refuse to be a useless flower vase!”
She then rushed out of the library, leaving Lü Qingyan standing there, speechless.
“I didn’t call her a flower vase,” she muttered.
Leave a Reply