Chapter 226: The Storm Subsides, The Ice-Cold Ghostess (Revised)
Is this… Yun Yue’s other half?
Lin Tianlu was about to ask when the fox suddenly opened its mouth and spoke. “Tianlu, don’t get too close to her. She’s cold and ruthless. You might get hurt.”
“This—”
Lin Tianlu’s expression was a mix of surprise and amusement. “How can a fox talk?”
Seeing his confusion, the fox’s face showed a human-like exasperation. “This isn’t the time for jokes, Tianlu.”
“I know.”
Lin Tianlu nodded, his amusement fading. “I just wanted to ease the tension between you two.”
The moment the ghost and the fox met, a chilling wind swept through the area around the lake. Although they hadn’t attacked each other yet, the atmosphere was tense, a battle imminent.
“Ease the tension… Tianlu, it’s not that simple.”
The fox was about to continue when Yun Yue, her face expressionless, suddenly raised her hand, and countless moon blades materialized, hurtling towards the fox!
But Lin Tianlu quickly grabbed her wrist, and the moon blades dissipated.
The fox, who had been preparing to defend herself, relaxed and sat down, her tails swaying gently.
“—Why did you stop me?”
Yun Yue looked up at him, her gaze calm.
Lin Tianlu clicked his tongue. “And why did you attack her?”
“We’re like fire and water. We can’t coexist.”
Yun Yue’s voice was cold and indifferent. “Since you refuse to accept me as your servant, I’ll defeat her and prove that I’m stronger.”
“Your relationship is…”
“Tianlu, she’s too cold and distant. Let me explain.”
The fox’s voice echoed in his mind. “When you sent my demonic half into your immortal mountain, our power was evenly divided, balanced by my cultivation technique.
But during our visit to the Lunar Valley, with the abundant spiritual energy and your help, my cultivation reached a bottleneck. The demonic and Yin energies within me clashed, the Yin energy becoming excessive, disrupting the balance. My power split in two. I became the demon, and she became the ghost.
And just as there’s Yin and Yang, my personality became more cheerful and optimistic, while she inherited my nine hundred years of resentment and negativity, amplified by the Yin energy, becoming a being of pure darkness.”
Lin Tianlu frowned, his mind racing.
So when he rescued Yun Yue from the Netherworld, he hadn’t completely dispelled her resentment.
And since Yin energy was connected to the soul, this imbalance had caused this new, colder Yun Yue to manifest.
“Is there no way to restore the balance, to return her to her previous state?”
“Her Yin energy and resentment are too strong. My cultivation technique can’t contain it anymore. That’s why she sought you out, Tianlu, seeking your Yang energy to restore the balance.”
“I see.”
Lin Tianlu nodded thoughtfully, looking at the silent girl. “So you’re just throwing a tantrum, Yun Yue?”
Yun Yue’s eyes narrowed, and she pushed his hand away. “Nonsense.”
The fox chuckled softly.
“You’re not wrong, Tianlu. She’s still carrying nine hundred years of resentment.”
“—Since you won’t listen to reason, I’ll have to use force.” Yun Yue’s eyes narrowed, and a faint light emanated from her body. “Once I defeat you, I’ll—”
But a large hand suddenly landed on her head, interrupting her.
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
Lin Tianlu looked down at her, his voice calm. “Behave yourself.”
“Ugh!”
Yun Yue’s face paled as she felt an immense pressure bearing down on her, her Yin energy dispersing.
Emerald green chains materialized, binding her limbs, restricting her movements.
She tried to speak, but a mysterious force sealed her lips.
The fox appeared beside them, her voice a soft murmur. “Tianlu, my cultivation technique is unique, intrinsically linked to my very being. It might take decades to—”
“There’s a simpler solution.”
Lin Tianlu interrupted her, a smile on his face. “Since her resentment is so strong, we just have to make her happy, to help her let go of her negativity. Once she smiles, she’ll be fine.”
“—Eh?”
The fox’s expression turned strange.
Such a simple solution… but it might actually work.
After a moment of thought, she nodded in agreement.
“I’ll trust your judgment, Tianlu.”
But then she sighed softly. “I’ve caused you so much trouble. This journey home was supposed to be joyful. But because of my instability, my lingering resentment, you’ve had to worry about me.”
“It’s no trouble at all. Whether it’s you or her, you’re still Yun Yue, aren’t you?”
Lin Tianlu knelt down and patted the fox’s head gently. “Just think of it as dealing with a spoiled child. With a little coaxing, she’ll return to normal.”
“Th-that’s a bit embarrassing.”
The fox turned away shyly. “Alright, since you have a plan, Tianlu, let’s go back and rest. And please try to keep ‘me’ out of trouble.”
“Don’t worry.”
Lin Tianlu chuckled and stroked the fox’s tail, then he picked up the emerald chains and vanished, taking the bound and silenced Yun Yue with him.
…
As the storm of Yin energy subsided, Hua Shuya and Mao Ruoyu lowered their hands, their eyes fixed on the figure that had appeared in the room.
A familiar voice echoed through the air.
“It’s alright now.”
Lin Tianlu waved his hand, dispelling the remaining mist, and smiled gently. “Yun Yue is stable now. You can go back to sleep.”
Mao Ruoyu patted her chest, relieved.
She had been worried about losing control again. She didn’t want anyone to get hurt.
Hua Shuya relaxed and sheathed her sword.
Now that everything was resolved, they could—Hmm?
Suddenly, both Hua Shuya and Mao Ruoyu gasped, their eyes wide with surprise as they looked at Yun Yue, who was lying on the bed.
“Wh-what happened?”
Mao Ruoyu’s voice was filled with shock. “Where are Sister Yun’s tails?!”
Not just her ears, but even her fluffy tails, which had been large enough to cover the entire bed, were gone. She looked like a delicate porcelain doll.
Hua Shuya’s hand instinctively went to her sword, her eyes filled with suspicion.
And her aura was completely different.
The Yun Yue they knew had been elegant and graceful, gentle and kind, like Madam Mao. Sometimes, she even had a motherly aura.
But this girl radiated a chilling coldness, a sense of unease washing over them even before their eyes met.
“…”
Yun Yue opened her crimson eyes, her gaze sweeping over them, her expression cold and indifferent. She didn’t greet them.
Instead, she looked at Lin Tianlu. “Is this your choice?”
“Of course.”
Lin Tianlu nodded, his voice calm. “Don’t you like it?”
Yun Yue lowered her eyes, her voice soft. “I have no objections.”
Mao Ruoyu approached him, her face filled with worry. “My husband, what happened to Sister Yun? Why is she—”
“Don’t worry, she’s still Yun Yue.”
Lin Tianlu chuckled and patted her shoulder reassuringly. “It’s similar to what happened to you a while ago, Ruoyu. She’s also split into two. But only when her ‘demon’ and ‘ghost’ halves are united does she become the Yun Yue we know.
She’s currently at a bottleneck in her cultivation, and her old technique is affecting her, causing the separation. This is Yun Yue, the ghost.”
Mao Ruoyu’s eyes widened in understanding. “So Sister Yun’s constitution is even more unique than we thought? But…”
She looked at Yun Yue with concern. “Does she still remember us?”
If she had lost her memories of their time together, how could they rebuild their relationship?
“I remember everything.”
Yun Yue’s voice was cold and emotionless, her beautiful face expressionless. “Everything that happened before, I remember it all. Don’t worry, I recognize you.
I just… express myself differently now.”
“As you can see, she can only show this cold and distant demeanor right now.”
Lin Tianlu shrugged. “We just need to find a way to dispel her resentment, to help her break through this bottleneck. Once she reaches a higher realm, her two halves will merge again, and she’ll return to normal.”
Mao Ruoyu nodded thoughtfully.
She had some experience with this.
After all, she had gone through something similar recently. Perhaps she could help.
…
The next morning…
Lin Tianlu and his companions left Anshi County and began their journey home.
But the atmosphere inside the carriage was…
…awkward.
Hua Shuya sat stiffly, her gaze fixed on Yun Yue, trying to decipher her thoughts.
Yun Yue stared back, her eyes cold and empty, the air in the carriage thick with tension.
After a long, silent confrontation, Hua Shuya’s eye twitched, and she looked away, defeated.
She rubbed her forehead, feeling a twinge of self-doubt.
“Sister Yun, would you like some breakfast?”
Mao Ruoyu took out a few steamed buns wrapped in oil paper, her voice gentle and warm. “I bought these at the inn before we left. Would you like to try one?”
Yun Yue’s eyes flickered, and she glanced at the steaming bun, sniffing it delicately before nodding. “Thank you.”
She took the bun and took a small bite, her lips parting slightly, a puff of warm air escaping her lips.
“…”
She chewed slowly, her face still expressionless.
Mao Ruoyu leaned closer, her voice filled with concern. “How is it?”
“It’s good.” Yun Yue’s voice was flat and indifferent as she took another bite.
“Take your time. There are plenty more.”
Mao Ruoyu smiled gently, like a mother caring for her child.
“Mm.”
But seeing her continued coldness and lack of response, Mao Ruoyu’s smile faltered, and she exchanged glances with Hua Shuya, her expression troubled.
Sister Yun was so different now…
Her cold demeanor made them uncomfortable, not knowing how to interact with her.
Yun Yue looked up at them. “Aren’t you eating?”
Mao Ruoyu’s face lit up. “We’ve already eaten, Sister Yun. You can have them all.”
“Oh.”
“…”
Eh?
Seeing her silence again, Mao Ruoyu tilted her head, chuckling awkwardly, starting to doubt her own ability to… care for others.
Hua Shuya’s expression was equally awkward, not knowing how to start a conversation.
After all, she wasn’t very good with words, and her current merged state with Yu Xuanling made her even more reserved and aloof.
It was like two ice sculptures staring at each other, the atmosphere in the carriage growing colder.
Even Mao Ruoyu, who had been trying to maintain a cheerful demeanor, couldn’t help but feel her smile falter.
Yun Yue, however, seemed completely unfazed, calmly eating her bun, like a little hamster.
After finishing the bun, she lowered her hands and nodded. “It was good.”
“Would you like another one, Sister Yun?”
“No.”
“Oh…”
Mao Ruoyu put the buns away, her expression disappointed.
At that moment, the carriage curtain was pulled aside.
“The atmosphere in here seems a bit… chilly.”
Lin Tianlu leaned against the frame of the carriage, chuckling. “I can feel the cold air radiating from inside. Are you practicing some kind of freezing technique?”
Mao Ruoyu and Hua Shuya sighed in relief.
“We’re just not sure how to interact with Sister Yun now. We’ll figure it out—”
“I’ll teach you a trick.”
Lin Tianlu raised his finger, a mysterious smile on his face. “Guaranteed to break through her icy exterior.”
“What is it?”
“Watch closely.”
He leaned closer to Yun Yue and quickly rubbed her cheeks with his hand.
“???”
Yun Yue blinked, her eyes wide with confusion.
By the time she reacted, Lin Tianlu had already retreated, closing the curtain behind him.
“…?”
Yun Yue tilted her head, her hand covering her slightly flushed cheek, a puzzled look on her face.