“Knock, knock, knock.”
“Coming, coming!”
Early in the morning, a young girl with a green side braid ran over to open the door.
“Daoist Friend Qu, you’re so early… Huh?”
Lin Qianqian kept her head down as she pulled open the door.
What met her eyes wasn’t the petite black-haired girl she expected, but a figure in plain white robes — and a flat chest.
She looked up and met Yun Xuechang’s cold face.
“Oh, Senior Sister? Why is it you? Aren’t you supposed to go back with Daoist Friend Hua to see her grandmother today? Are you here to say goodbye?”
As Lin Qianqian spoke, she stepped aside to let Yun Xuechang into the room.
“No, we won’t be leaving until noon.”
Yun Xuechang entered the room but did not sit down. She simply shook her head.
“I actually came to ask my Junior Sister for some advice.”
“Huh? Did you have another epiphany about a new sword technique, Senior Sister? But our cultivation styles are completely different. I’m afraid I won’t be able to give any good suggestions…”
Lin Qianqian looked a bit confused.
“It’s not about sword cultivation.”
Yun Xuechang shook her head again.
“Actually… I wanted to ask how to make someone stop being angry with you.”
“I think I’ve made Yan’er angry.”
“Wait, what?”
Lin Qianqian was stunned for a moment.
‘Is Senior Sister… having a lover’s spat with Daoist Friend Hua?’
She looked at that face, which remained cold and devoid of much emotion, feeling quite surprised.
In truth, Lin Qianqian had never quite understood this Senior Sister.
Although they both belonged to the Xiaoyao Sword Sect, they were from different peaks and different lineages.
While they crossed paths often and Yun Xuechang’s past exploits were widely known within the sect, Lin never understood what was actually going on in the mind of this habitually silent and emotionless Senior Sister.
Before meeting Hua Xiangrong, she had even assumed that Senior Sister only cared about sword techniques, Evil Purging, cultivation, and tanghulu.
She never imagined her Senior Sister would actually fall in love, let alone have a daughter.
And now, Senior Sister was actually coming to her for advice on matters of the heart.
“Don’t worry, Senior Sister! I’ll definitely help you and Daoist Friend Hua make up!”
Lin Qianqian immediately grinned and patted her chest.
“After all, my relationship experience is very rich!”
“… Junior Sister, I honestly don’t think your past experiences of being swindled out of your Spirit Stones count as a relationship,” Yun Xuechang said sincerely after a moment of silence.
“Th-Those don’t count! I’m talking about me and Xiao Li!” Lin Qianqian argued hurriedly. “Xiao Li and I have a great relationship! We’ve only argued once, and we made up very quickly!”
“I see. Then how did you make up with her?” Yun Xuechang nodded and asked seriously.
“By giving a gift, of course! Xiao Li forgave me as soon as she received it!”
“…”
“… Junior Sister, are you sure someone isn’t just after your money again?”
“Of course not! I gave her a handmade gift, something I made with my own two hands!”
Lin Qianqian puffed out her cheeks and waved her hands dismissively.
“Anyway, Senior Sister, you just have to listen to me! Prepare a gift with all your heart and give a proper apology. Daoist Friend Hua will definitely forgive you!”
…
Honestly, after all that, it turned out Yun Xuechang didn’t like her at all.
The red-haired girl sat alone before the mirror, clutching an ivory comb and brushing her smooth, long hair stroke by stroke.
‘So all this time, I’ve just been overthinking things on my own? What kind of mess is this?!’
She set down the comb and pouted, her cheeks puffing out slightly.
‘And I have no idea where that woman ran off to so early in the morning. Honestly, we’re supposed to go back to the Valley today, yet she’s running around outside. I can’t even find her…’
Last night, she had walked ahead in embarrassed annoyance while Yun Xuechang followed her all the way back to the inn.
Upon entering, they found Hua Xiangrong waiting. For some reason, Hua Xiangrong was exceptionally clingy toward both her and Yun Xuechang last night.
It made it impossible for her to vent her anger, so she could only wash up awkwardly and squeeze into bed with the two of them.
But when she opened her eyes this morning, Yun Xuechang was already gone. Even Hua Xiangrong had claimed she had something important to do and slipped out of the room alone.
‘If it weren’t for Rongrong, would Yun Xuechang have even come back with me?’
‘Naturally not. After all, there’s nothing between us. The only reason we have anything to do with each other is because of this daughter who suddenly appeared…’
‘No, no, why am I thinking about this? What Yun Xuechang thinks is none of my business! Even if she doesn’t like me, so what? Even if I’ve turned into a woman, there are plenty of people who like me. Why should I care about her?’
‘Hmph! Once we’re back in the Valley, this young master will go find some girls! I’ll bring home someone different every day just to spite that cold-faced sword blockhead!’
The huffy red-haired girl reached out her slender, fair hand and opened her jewelry box.
She was about to pick out today’s hair accessories when her gaze was suddenly caught by a pair of pearl tassel earrings —
They were the prize Yun Xuechang had won for her in the game of pitch-pot last night.
‘Tsk, this kind of mortal street-stall junk is so tacky. Only a person so poor they can’t even afford a Spirit Boat would give this as a gift.’
Her gaze skipped over the earrings and shifted to a pair of agate ones nearby.
‘I’ll just wear the pendants I brought back from the Hundred Flowers Valley.’
…
‘Whatever, I’ve grown tired of those pendants anyway. Those pearl ones actually look quite fresh.’
‘I suppose I can reluctantly try them on.’
And so, the red-haired girl reached for the pearl tassel earrings and happily put them on.
‘Oh, not bad at all! As expected of me, I look good in anything!’
She checked herself from every angle in the mirror, unable to stop her lips from curling upward.
“Yan’er, there’s something I want to say to you.”
A cool, clear voice suddenly came from behind her.
“Huh? What is it? Go ahead.”
Hua Yan turned around with a smile and looked at Yun Xuechang as she walked in.
“It’s… Yan’er, you’re wearing the earrings I gave you.”
Yun Xuechang paused mid-sentence, her gaze falling on the soft luster hanging from the other’s delicate earlobes.
She couldn’t help but be slightly stunned.
?!!
Hua Yan immediately raised her hands to cover her ears, her pretty face turning beet-red in an instant.
“What earrings?! I have no idea what you’re talking about!”
“The ones I gave you last night…”
“Aaah! So what if I am! I just got bored of my old jewelry and wanted to try something new! You’re not allowed to get any ideas!”
Her face so red it looked like it might bleed, the red-haired girl whipped around and kept her ears covered.
“More importantly, you! Where did you go so early in the morning?! Why are you coming in here all of a sudden? What do you want? If it’s nothing, then get out!”
“… I came to apologize to you.”
“Eh?”
Hua Yan was momentarily stunned.
“I’m sorry, Yan’er. I made you angry again last night. I made this after I woke up this morning. I hope you can forgive me.”
The cold, white-haired Fairy took out a small wood carved pendant from her robes.
It was intricately carved into the shape of a bright, smiling red-haired girl with almond-shaped eyes and a beaming grin.
The hair accessories and the patterns on the clothes were all lifelike.
Without a doubt, it was a carving of Hua Yan.
“Is this… for me?”
Hua Yan carefully took the exquisite piece of craftsmanship, cradling it in her palms as she looked up at Yun Xuechang.
“Yes. I carved it based on how you looked watching the fireworks last night.”
Yun Xuechang nodded and explained softly, “For practical use, I also infused it with Sword Intent during the carving. It can provide protection and ward off — “
“So, why are you apologizing?”
Hua Yan lowered her head, hiding her expression as she suddenly interrupted her.
“You clearly know you didn’t do anything wrong. I was the one who suddenly lost my temper with you.”
“So why… would you apologize to someone like me?”
“…”
Yun Xuechang was slightly startled, as if she hadn’t expected this question.
“I don’t know.”
She thought for a moment with her head down, then looked up and answered sincerely, “I just didn’t want you to be angry. I didn’t want you to ignore me… so I did it.”
“…”
“F-Fine, I’ll accept the gift… Since you’re being so sincere, I’ll r-reluctantly forgive you.”
Hua Yan held the pendant, her cheeks burning hot as she whispered the words.
“Good. Then can I continue to call you Yan’er?”
Seeing her like this, a trace of a smile flickered in Yun Xuechang’s cold eyes as she asked softly.
“C-Call me whatever you want… It’s not like you weren’t doing it before.”
Hua Yan turned away, her voice growing smaller and smaller.
‘Cough, cough. I didn’t expect this Yun Xuechang to be so thoughtful…’
‘Once she comes back to the Valley with me, she’ll probably keep trying to make me happy like this…’
A smug, uncontrollable smile began to creep onto the red-haired girl’s lips.
“Mother! Mother! Great-grandmother is looking for you!”
Just then, a small pink figure burst into the room and dove into Hua Yan’s arms like a little bird, holding a fabric Amulet high in her small hand.
???
Caught off guard, Hua Yan caught her daughter, looking completely bewildered.
“Mother! Great-grandmother said she has something very important to tell you!”
Hua Xiangrong excitedly held the Amulet before her eyes. As soon as she finished speaking, Hua Yuheng’s voice rang out from within the charm.
“Hello? Hua Yan! You little brat! You didn’t even think to use a Voice Transmission Talisman to tell your mother you were safe during the Mid-Autumn Festival? It’s lucky Rongrong is sensible enough to keep this old woman in mind!”
Hua Yan was stunned. She and Yun Xuechang had been so preoccupied with wandering around last night, and then she had been overwhelmed by the string of events regarding Rongrong’s parentage, that she had completely forgotten to report her safety to her grandmother.
“Grandmother, I…”
Without waiting for an explanation, Hua Yuheng continued on her own.
“Whatever, I didn’t expect much from you anyway. Let me ask you, did you find Rongrong’s mother?”
“Uh, yes…”
As Hua Yan answered, she hurriedly sent a Telepathy message to Yun Xuechang.
‘Don’t make a sound! I haven’t figured out how to explain our situation to Grandmother yet, and Rongrong is still right here!’
Yun Xuechang nodded silently.
But to her surprise, what Hua Yuheng wanted to ask wasn’t that at all.
“That’s perfect. I have something to tell you. This is an order — you don’t need to come back to the Hundred Flowers Valley!”
“Why?!” Hua Yan cried out immediately.
‘What? I just finished mentally preparing myself to bring Yun Xuechang back, and now I can’t even go home?’
“Take that girl Xuechang and head to the Xiaoyao Sword Sect first! She’s been raising a child there alone for nearly 10 years; she must have faced plenty of gossip. You go there and clear her name! Make a proper appearance! While you’re at it, take your daughter there to play for a while!”
“As for your identity and all that, don’t worry. I’ll handle the arrangements. It’s settled!”
“Wait! Grandmother, I — “
Before Hua Yan could protest, the communication talisman went silent. She could only stare blankly at the fabric charm being held up by the small hand.
‘What? Why do we suddenly have to go to the Xiaoyao Sword Sect? What happened to going back to the Valley?’
‘Wait… did Grandmother just say… she wants her to take their daughter there to play?’
“Hua… Xiang… Rong…”
She lowered her head and looked at the pink-haired little girl in her arms with a fake smile, her tone carrying a hint of danger.
“Could you explain to Mother why Grandmother suddenly wants me to go to the Xiaoyao Sword Sect today?”
“Rongrong doesn’t know! Maybe Great-grandmother thinks the Sword Sect is fun and wants Mother to go have some fun too!”
The little girl in her arms slipped out with a whoosh and scurried over to Yun Xuechang.
“You stay right there!”
“Mommy, save me!”
Hua Xiangrong hid behind Yun Xuechang’s legs, peeking her head out.
She watched as Yun Xuechang gently calmed the fuming Hua Yan while muttering to herself:
‘Oh, Mother, it’s not that Rongrong wants to trick you. But we have to follow the script so we can save the world.’
‘According to the original plot, Mommy gets seriously injured and then returns to the sect to recover. We can’t deviate from the main storyline.’
She looked up at the fuming Hua Yan, a mischievous smile appearing on her small face.
‘So, of course we can’t go back to the Hundred Flowers Valley. Our next stop has to be — ‘
‘ — the Xiaoyao Sword Sect!’