About the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Shangguan Hongzhi finished recounting everything about Lin Xizhi.
In response, Qin Luoyi summarized it succinctly in three “no more than threes”—few words, little content, and scant emotion.
The most useful information boiled down to just a few points.
For instance…
Lin Xizhi actually spent very little time at the Shangguan residence throughout the year.
She only appeared when the Shangguan family needed her for something.
She was like a cold, unfeeling machine, with hardly any connections to others.
But strangely, the year she adopted Yun Mu, she stayed in the capital for the entire year without leaving even once.
Another point…
Lin Xizhi’s age was a mystery.
Her existence could even be traced back to Shangguan Hongzhi’s father’s generation or earlier, yet oddly, she showed no signs of aging in her appearance.
“In this world, to permanently fix one’s appearance at a certain stage, you either cultivate specific techniques or reach the fifth transformation or above. But Lin Xizhi doesn’t fit either category—there’s no sign she used such cultivation methods, and her displayed cultivation at most reached the fourth transformation. Interesting…”
The girl walked back to the side courtyard, repeating what she had heard and pondering over Yun Mu’s master with a tightly knit brow.
“Though that old man babbled a lot, the useful stuff was just a bit. And… given his personality, there’s probably a lot of lies mixed in.”
“He says he wanted to take Yun Mu away out of guilt, but was attacked by bandits along the way, injured and fell off Endless Cliff? Then he sent people to search but found nothing? Sounds like complete nonsense… That bastard… Looks like I’ll have to ask others for more info… After all, this concerns little Yunzi. If I can find a clue—like Lin Xizhi still being alive—maybe I can lock his heart with mine.”
Muttering to herself, she stretched lazily, only to catch sight of a small figure clad in black just ahead, peeking nervously near a door.
“Oh? Isn’t that Shangguan Qiuyue? No need to search far and wide when luck just falls into your lap. Not bad…”
She chuckled softly, then tiptoed over silently.
“Mom said Xiao Mu choked on water trying to save me, so after waking up, he was arranged to rest here,”
the girl smoothed her clothes, glancing down at the food hidden in her arms, then cast a wary look around before muttering, “Since it’s because of me, sneaking out at night won’t matter, right? Hmm…”
Giving herself a pep talk, she took a small step forward.
Before she could take another, a faint voice came from behind.
“Hey… Did your mom tell you there are ghosts here too?”
A sudden pat on her shoulder followed.
“Ah!”
In the dead of night, a shoulder pat accompanied by a voice, combined with Shangguan Qiuyue’s naturally timid nature, startled her so much she shouted out loud and stumbled, falling to the ground and flinging the food in her hands.
“Gh-gh-ghost…!”
“Hey, hey, why waste food like that?”
Qin Luoyi was quick, catching the basket first, then moving swiftly back and forth like lightning.
After catching a falling apple, she returned to where she was.
“Here, hold on to it. You can’t lose the things meant for visiting the sick.”
“Ghost… a ghost talked to me!”
The girl took the basket with trembling hands, still visibly shaken by the unexpected scare.
Seeing her still terrified, the long princess showed a hint of helplessness.
She shook her head, crouched down, leaned close, and pinched the girl’s cheek with a deadpan expression.
“Little one, I’m not a ghost. Have you ever seen a ghost with warmth in their body?”
“But… your hands are cold.”
“That’s just my natural low body temperature.”
“But… your face is so pale too, even paler than Xun Yi’s.”
“Uh, that’s also natural.”
“But…”
“Stop, stop. No more buts. How did your genius father Shangguan Hongzhi end up having such a dumb kid like you?”
Qin Luoyi covered her mouth, looking a little impatient.
“You’re even dumber than your mom.”
“M-mom’s not dumb…”
“Alright, alright, I’m tired of teasing you. If it weren’t for you looking like Sister Lin did when she was young, I wouldn’t bother talking so much.”
“You know my mom?”
“Of course I do.”
“Then should I call you Auntie?”
“Wait… what? Auntie? Do I look that old!?”
“Mom and Dad said cultivators can keep their youthful appearance once they reach a certain cultivation level. If you call me sister and you call my mom sister, then I’d be your aunt, right?”
“This…”
Her seemingly logical but flawed reasoning left the sharp-tongued princess speechless.
Is this what they call talking to a brick wall?
How did I, a perfectly good seventeen-year-old girl, suddenly become the aunt generation?
Her lips twitched before she gave a faint chuckle.
“Whatever. Call me whatever you want. I don’t care. Besides, we might not even meet again,”
Qin Luoyi handed her the basket and quietly asked, “You just woke up recently, right? Dragging your sick body here to see Yun Mu?”
“Yeah… I sneaked out. Aunt… sister, you have to keep it a secret.”
Hmm?
Already changed to calling her sister?
Pretty clever.
“I can keep secrets, but you have to answer some questions first, okay?”
“Okay! Ask away, I’ll tell you everything I know!”
Seeing the girl’s spirits were decent, Qin Luoyi smiled and raised a finger.
“First question: Do you know Lin Xizhi?”
“Lin Xizhi? Sister, do you mean little Mu’s master? Actually, I don’t know much about her. I was little back then. I just remember she didn’t smile much and liked holding little Mu in the yard at night to watch the moon. She seemed very lonely…”
She pondered briefly, then pointed toward the nearby Peach Blossom Tree.
“That Peach Blossom Tree that blooms every year but never bears fruit was planted by her. It blooms its fullest in March. This year…”
She frowned at the seemingly thinning blossoms, “this year, for some reason, it seems to have fallen early.”
“Peach Blossom Tree… got it. Anything else?”
The girl shook her head; she really didn’t know more.
After all, Lin Xizhi died when she was only four.
A four-year-old remembering this much was already impressive.
“Alright. Didn’t expect much more,”
Qin Luoyi raised a second finger and asked, “Second question: If I told you someone could save you, but the price is the bones and eyes of someone close to you, would you want to live at that cost?”
“Bones… and eyes? I wouldn’t want that…”
“Even if you don’t want it?”
“No. Even if it’s not someone close, I still wouldn’t want it. I don’t want to die either, but to exchange someone else’s life… or their future happiness… for my survival is wrong…”
“Yet there are many selfish people in this world. One more or less shouldn’t matter, right?”
“Others may do as they please, but in my heart, this is absolutely unacceptable.”
Her reasonable answer didn’t surprise Qin Luoyi.
Her Star Force let her sense the strength of a person’s life, especially those weaker than herself—good or bad, she could tell at a glance.
So when she first saw Shangguan Qiuyue, she knew the girl’s character resembled Shangguan Yayue more, even purer and kinder.
It was a pity that in this world, things don’t happen just because you want them to, little one.
Trading others’ bones for your life is something you seem destined to do.
Qin Luoyi looked down at the girl, feeling a pang of pity but more curiosity swelling up.
She began imagining—
Imagining the future, when Shangguan Qiuyue meets Yun Mu again, only to find him in Qin Luoyi’s arms, with no face to meet him, leaving nothing but tears behind.
The thought excited her.
“Oh dear, I do feel a bit sorry for you, little sister.”
“Huh?”
“Nothing, nothing. Next is the third question. Actually, there was no third question at first, but I like to make it three. Let me see…”
She rubbed her chin, eyes suddenly brightening.
“Do you like Xiao Yun… no, do you like Yun Mu?”
“Like Yun Mu… Ah!? Th-that…I…I…”
Clearly, saying such things to someone she just met was too embarrassing.
She stammered without managing to say much.
“Hm… if you don’t like him, then I like him.”
“What!? You like Xiao Mu?”
She hadn’t expected this at all.
Meeting Qin Luoyi for the first time, and after two questions, she was already fighting over the man.
Ridiculous.
She instinctively took two steps back, raising a hand and pointing at the girl, her face instantly wary.
“No way… Xiao Mu is mine, I…”
“But didn’t you say you didn’t like him?”
“Who said I don’t like him! But you can’t have him!”
“Even if you say that… aren’t you going to die?”
Qin Luoyi’s words instantly dampened Shangguan Qiuyue’s previously high spirits.
She stammered without answering and lowered her raised arm.
Seeing this, the sharp-tongued princess bent down and leaned closer, looking at the girl who now had her head bowed and lips pursed, and teasingly asked.
“What’s wrong? Are you going to cry?”
“……”
No answer.
No further questions.
Silence filled the courtyard.
After a long while, Shangguan Qiuyue took a deep breath, calming herself.
She lifted her head and stared intently at Qin Luoyi, suppressing her sorrow as she quietly explained.
“Actually, just now my mother told me that in two days, Lu Ye will give me one last treatment… After this treatment, I might survive, but I might also die… So I came to see Xiao Mu to say goodbye.”
“You didn’t have to tell me that, did you? After all… I’m your rival now, right?”
“It’s necessary… Sister, you like Xiao Mu too, don’t you? Although I don’t know when you started liking him, and although you seem a bit mischievous, I can tell you’re not a bad person…”
“I’m not a bad person…? What a joke.”
“Not joking, that’s just how I feel. So… if I die this time… Sister, please take Xiao Mu with you. I’ve saved the Ransheng Qian under the biggest Peach Blossom Tree in the side courtyard. You don’t have to spend money. Just, please take care of him.”
After saying this, the girl bowed deeply and ran straight to the house where Yun Mu was, leaving Qin Luoyi standing alone, somewhat hesitant.
She looked at the girl’s small figure, recalling their conversation and inexplicably chuckled.
“Hm… that generous, huh? Giving your beloved to someone else? Truly unheard of. But… compared to her, I do seem a little petty.”
“Can’t help it. I’m just that selfish woman. Qiuyue little one, sister here… really isn’t a good person. No matter if you live or die, Yun Mu can only be mine. Sorry~”
Muttering to herself, she snapped her fingers lightly, sending a breeze-like Star Force into the house.
At that moment, the once sleeping boy stirred awake.
Feeling the awakened boy, Qin Luoyi chuckled softly and turned to sit down at a nearby pavilion.
“Before that, I’ll graciously let you two have a good chat… hehehe…”