Su Wenjing’s divine sense shifted slightly as he listened.
He was already aware of the situation within the entire Yin manor. After all, he possessed the divine soul strength of the Tribulation stage.
As long as he willed it, everyone within the Yin manor fell under his perception.
***
Aside from one Clone stage cultivator, there were only two Nascent Souls in the entire Yin manor.
Li Yunxian’s voice continued, “Back then, we were quite famous in the eastern part of Shenghua. News eventually reached the Yin manor, and they came looking for him.”
“They wanted Yin Ke to return and inherit the Yin manor.”
“At that time, the Ancestor of the Yin family had perished while leading a group into a certain Secret Realm.”
“Many of the direct descendants died with him. Aside from Yin Ke, the only person left in the family was one elderly Nascent Soul cultivator.”
“They wanted Yin Ke to return and revitalize the Yin manor.”
“He agreed.”
“However, he made a demand to the Yin manor: they had to agree to the marriage between him and me.”
“This time, no one in the Yin manor refused.”
“Because Yin Ke’s cultivation was high enough, and also because…”
“I was already at the Golden Core grand completion,” Li Yunxian said with a small smile.
Within the Yin manor, such a cultivation level carried significant weight.
In the cultivation world, everything else was superficial; only one’s cultivation level truly provided a voice and status.
It was just that, at the time, neither Li Yunxian nor Yin Ke fully understood those principles. Back then, they were simply happy.
“I told you what happened after that.”
“The Yin manor needed a mistress who could help manage the household.”
“And I was not that person.”
“Yin Ke was unwilling to abandon the declining Yin manor this time,” Li Yunxian stated. “He wanted to continue focusing on his cultivation.”
There was no resentment or dissatisfaction in Li Yunxian’s tone.
What she had liked about him was his sense of loyalty and righteousness.
That was also why Yin Ke had been so steadfast in the beginning, choosing Li Yunxian even when everyone in his family opposed them.
Because back then, there were many people in the Yin manor, and he didn’t need to shoulder that responsibility.
At that time, Li Yunxian was his lover and his responsibility.
But the situation was different now.
Yin Ke couldn’t let go of his home.
A person’s character is always a double-edged sword.
“I was also unwilling to be ‘virtuous and refined’ like the wives of other noble families.”
“On the day I proposed breaking up, I broke through to the Nascent Soul stage.”
“At that moment, I finally understood why my parents divorced.”
“They had different career paths in different places. Just like Yin Ke and me, they couldn’t sacrifice themselves or subject themselves to a lifetime of misery just to compromise for one another.”
Yin Ke had been gentle, elegant, and considerate for a century, but when the two parted ways, he spoke the most ‘vicious’ words of his life.
“Later, I continued my cultivation outside. The Yin manor introduced one woman after another to him, but he was never satisfied.”
“Eventually, I reached the Clone stage.”
“The Yin manor stopped mentioning anything about finding him a match after that.”
“After I reached the Spirit Fusion stage, I became an Enshrined Elder for a certain Zongmen. A junior from the Yin manor came to see me and gave me a branch from a ginkgo tree.”
“I heard the Yin manor was developing quite well.”
“No one dared to cause them trouble anymore.”
After all, Li Yunxian was already a renowned cultivator across the entire continent by then. Although they had no further contact, no one was willing to offend the Yin manor, considering Yin Ke was Li Yunxian’s only former fiancé.
“It’s just that Yin Ke never managed to break through to the Clone stage.”
And the Nascent Soul stage had a limit on its lifespan.
“When he was dying, he wanted to see me.”
“I went.”
“When I arrived, Yin Ke still looked exactly as he did in my memories.”
Normally, a Nascent Soul cultivator should be aged and frail when they reach the end of their lifespan, but the cultivation world had various Dan Yao. If one only wanted to preserve their appearance, it wasn’t difficult.
“He talked to me a lot about the past. Finally, he said he hoped I could look after the Yin manor slightly after his death.”
“If the Yin manor ever faced a crisis that didn’t violate the Dao, he hoped I could lend a hand.”
“Just three times would be enough.”
“I agreed.” Li Yunxian smiled genuinely at this point. “It’s actually quite nice.”
In his final moments, Yin Ke still chose the Yin manor.
“Neither of us regretted the choices we made for one another.”
Back when Li Yunxian went to visit Yin Ke, the ginkgo tree they had planted together had already grown tall and large, enough to shroud half the Yin manor in its shade.
Li Yunxian watched as Yin Ke was ultimately buried beneath that ginkgo tree.
That was the spot Yin Ke had chosen for himself.
Back then, there was a rocking chair under the ginkgo tree, a stove, and a swaying swing. it looked very cozy.
However, those things were eventually burned.
Those were all of Yin Ke’s possessions. According to custom, those items were to follow him after death.
Li Yunxian attended Yin Ke’s entire funeral.
Afterward, Li Yunxian didn’t return for a long time.
In the interim, the Yin manor faced one hardship. After Li Yunxian found out, she asked a friend to help them once.
To certain covetous individuals, once they were certain that the Spirit Fusion stage Silver Ginkgo Fairy would indeed act for the Yin manor, they scattered faster than anyone else.
No one dared to provoke the Yin manor again.
It wasn’t until Li Yunxian had been a Tribulation stage cultivator for a very, very long time that she suddenly realized she hadn’t heard news of the Yin manor in ages.
At that time, the entire world was peaceful. All cultivators were focused on their cultivation, waiting for the number of people undergoing transcendence to reach the required standard.
It was a very leisurely time.
So, Li Yunxian returned to that mountain where the Yin manor once stood.
The once prosperous and bustling land of a cultivation family had turned into desolate hills over time.
Only that ginkgo tree stood conspicuously amidst the ruins on the hilltop.
The Yin manor was gone.
It wasn’t due to some catastrophe or targeted attack. It was simply that after the Spirit Stone vein in the area was exhausted, fewer and fewer talented cultivators appeared in the Yin family.
And so, the Yin manor simply ceased to exist.
It was a very simple situation.
Nothing changed more than the seas turning into mulberry fields.
Su Wenjing noticed the faint melancholy on Li Yunxian’s face and raised an eyebrow.
In the next second, a fluffy object suddenly appeared before Li Yunxian’s eyes, skillfully burrowing into her arms.
Li Yunxian immediately burst into laughter.
She grabbed the fox tail specifically meant to coax her and stroked the fur several times with great satisfaction.
Then, Li Yunxian turned her face, tilted her head slightly, and lightly touched her lips to Su Wenjing’s cheek.
Su Wenjing: …
His ears turned half-red again.
“Why are you always kissing people out of the blue!” Su Wenjing said in shy annoyance.
He was so startled he almost retracted his tail!
Li Yunxian blinked and asked, “Do you not like it?”
Su Wenjing: …
He didn’t answer.
Li Yunxian’s eyes curved. “How can someone like you be so unable to admit whether you like something or not?”
“Is this what they call being a tsundere?” Li Yunxian teased.
Both of Su Wenjing’s ears were completely red now. Totally unsure how to respond, he glared at Li Yunxian with zero killing intent. “Shut up.”
Li Yunxian laughed cheerfully and began to unceremoniously tease the beautiful fox in front of her.
She had to do it now; once Su Wenjing adjusted to his new identity, it wouldn’t be as fun!
Thus, when the two reappeared before Fu Ling, she saw Li Yunxian looking happy and cheerful, while Su Wenjing’s expression was stiff, looking as though he had been severely bullied.
Fu Ling: “?”
Fu Ling’s eyes were filled with confusion.
‘Wait, what’s going on?’
‘Isn’t everyone who enters the heart of the Heaven’s Ruins supposed to experience their past? No matter if they succeed or fail, shouldn’t they be in pain and crying uncontrollably?’
It felt like the roles of these two were reversed.
‘Whose past world was this anyway!’
Fu Ling grumbled internally before noticing something even more wrong.
“How did you two come out after only one day!!” Fu Ling’s eyes widened. “What happened?!”
Fu Ling felt that her coming out after two years was already considered fast.
After all, her past was from her time as an ordinary person.
A mortal’s lifespan was only so long, and the events they encountered often spanned a short period.
It was normal for many cultivators to stay inside the Heaven’s Ruins for decades or even a century before coming out.
But only one day!!
That was far too short!
What kind of terrifying day could make a past so heavy?
Fu Ling couldn’t imagine it.
Hearing the question, Li Yunxian didn’t hide anything. She directly stated that she hadn’t followed the so-called rules to relive her past.
“The me back then isn’t the same as the me now. Following the Dao in my heart is definitely correct!” Li Yunxian said.
Fu Ling: …
Fu Ling: …
She had always known Li Yunxian was a troublesome child, but she always thought this girl only troubled others. As it turned out, this girl even sabotaged herself!
Fu Ling didn’t know if she should even comment on Li Yunxian’s completely non-double-standard behavior.
“What would you have done if you failed!” As a Professor and the Principal, Fu Ling’s habit of worrying flared up again. She looked at them with a massive headache.
Li Yunxian answered naturally, “Then I’d just try again.”
However, if she really had to do it again, she definitely wouldn’t bring Su Wenjing in with her.
Fu Ling’s headache worsened.
“Don’t assume you can try again just because the marker is still there even though I failed!!”
“I came out after completing the entire process. For many who leave without finishing their past, the marker will shatter instantly.”
“They never get another chance!!”
Li Yunxian hadn’t known this, but even if she had…
When Li Yunxian faced Yin Ke back then, she chose not to sacrifice herself, and she wouldn’t do something she didn’t want to do now for the sake of a so-called second chance.
Besides, when Li Yunxian decided to shatter those two pieces of her divine soul, she hadn’t expected to ever get them back.
If she failed, she failed. Li Yunxian was already prepared to bear the consequences of her choices.
However, she would never disregard Fu Ling’s kindness.
Li Yunxian adopted an obedient and sensible look as she listened to Fu Ling’s lecturing, nodding along. “I won’t do it next time.”
‘There won’t be a next time anyway.’
Fu Ling, who could tell exactly how perfunctory Li Yunxian was being: …
She hadn’t reflected at all.
Having managed many students as a Principal, Fu Ling felt her blood pressure rising.
She decided to find an ally to help her teach Li Yunxian to be more cautious.
And there was a Professor right here!
However, Fu Ling turned her head.
Fu Ling: …
Fu Ling: “???”
She saw an expression on Su Wenjing’s face that was more tender and admiring than she had ever seen.
The way his eyes were fixed on Li Yunxian made it seem like he couldn’t see anyone else.
Fu Ling had seen this look on many people.
After all, the students at Wenwu Academy were all at the age of blossoming romance.
But…
Ha?!
Who was this guy in front of her acting like a peacock showing off its feathers?!
They had only been gone for one day. How had he turned into this?!
‘The past Secret Realm in the Heaven’s Ruins let you go in with Li Yunxian to protect her safety, not for you to use it for dating!!’
Fu Ling felt her fists tightening.