Fu Yu’s heart skipped a beat. “Why does Sister ask this?” Her neck stiffened, afraid that the slightest movement would bring her skin into contact with the jade hairpin.
“Let me guess which disciple of mine you are.”
These words sent a shiver down Fu Yu’s spine. Wasn’t the Fusheng Jade supposed to contain Qing Yao’s past? Everyone here should be mere shadows of bygone days. According to the timeline, the Qing Yao of this era was not yet the sect leader of Guiyu Sect but a young lady from an official family in the mortal realm three hundred years ago. Yet these words sounded exactly like something the current Sect Leader Qing Yao would say.
If this really was Sect Leader Qing Yao, should she reveal her identity? If she did, Qing Yao would surely ask how she had entered the Fusheng Jade. After all, Qing Yao always kept the jade on her person. How could she explain that she had transformed into a butterfly and sneaked into her room to spy?
“What are you talking about? This princess doesn’t understand a word.”
Qing Yao circled around to face her, the hairpin still pressed against her neck. Her deep, autumn-like eyes gleamed with an eerie light in the candlelight, as if they could pierce through every secret Fu Yu held.
After a long pause, Qing Yao suddenly withdrew the hairpin. Then, with surprising ease, she stepped out from behind the screen and sat on a stool in the room. Noticing a pot on the table, she picked it up, shook it, and poured herself a cup of water when she confirmed it contained liquid. Her demeanor shifted to one of calm clarity. “My apologies, I spoke nonsense.”
The words felt somewhat perfunctory, but since Qing Yao did not press further, Fu Yu saw no need to dwell on the matter. Whether Qing Yao had seen through her or not, as long as they both kept up the act, nothing would come of it.
Fu Yu smiled. “A misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding. I’ll call Qing Li at once to take you to a room on the second floor to rest.”
Qing Yao took a sip of water, then suddenly flung the cup in her hand straight at Fu Yu.
Instinctively, Fu Yu raised her left hand, and a swirl of white mist materialized in her palm, catching the cup firmly. As the mist dissipated, the small white porcelain cup settled into her grasp.
Fu Yu, bewildered, assumed Qing Yao was picking a fight. She had no intention of engaging, their abilities were on entirely different levels, and if it came to a real confrontation, Fu Yu would be effortlessly defeated.
“What happened today was entirely Zhao Hua’s fault. I beg Sister’s forgiveness for my foolishness. I promise it will never happen again.” As she spoke, Fu Yu cautiously approached Qing Yao, gently placing the porcelain cup back on the table. Her face wore an awkward smile, and fearing Qing Yao’s disbelief, she added an oath: “Don’t believe me? Then I swear on Zhao Hua’s head that from this night onward, I will never oppose Sister again. If I break this vow, may Zhao Hua lose her head.” Zhao Hua would have to take responsibility for her own actions, her head would serve as collateral for now.
From the moment Fu Yu caught the cup, Qing Yao had narrowed her eyes, watching her smile, speak, and swear oaths. Yet she remained silent, offering no response. After entering the Fusheng Jade, her magical abilities had reverted to their former state, matching the time period she had landed in. For instance, at this moment, she was still the person from three hundred years ago, skilled only in basic martial arts and devoid of any magical power. Yet, surprisingly, she had been able to use magic here.
Seeing that her torrent of words had fallen on deaf ears and elicited no reaction from the other party, Fu Yu gave up.
She had intended to call Qing Li to escort Qing Yao to the second floor to sleep, but Qing Yao refused: “No need. I’m not tired. If you are, go ahead and sleep. I’ll wake you in the morning.”
Fu Yu smiled: “Since you’re not sleepy, neither am I.” She retreated back onto the bed.
The candle flame flickered gently in the night breeze, and the room fell silent. No one spoke anymore, and the two began staring at each other blankly.
After a long while, Qing Yao said: “If you can’t hold on, you should sleep first.”
Fu Yu jolted awake, forcing her drooping eyes wide open as she pulled her lips into another smile: “If you’re not sleepy, I’m not sleepy.”
The water clock dripped slowly, one mark at a time, and the candle unknowingly burned down to its end. When the last bit of wick finally extinguished, Fu Yu could no longer hold on, her eyelids drooped, her body tilted, and she fell asleep.
Qing Yao clearly heard the thud of Fu Yu’s body hitting the bed board and shook her head imperceptibly. If she were capable of smiling, her face would undoubtedly be filled with mocking amusement.
The next day, as the rooster’s crow announced the dawn, Fu Yu suddenly awoke to find herself properly covered with a blanket. Startled for a moment, she quickly reasoned that she must have pulled it over herself when she felt cold during the night, it couldn’t possibly have been Qing Yao who covered her.
Sitting up abruptly, she saw her senior sister still sitting exactly where she had been, unmoved.
Fu Yu’s drowsiness vanished instantly: “Senior Sister, did you really stay awake all night?”
Qing Yao: “Mm.”
Fu Yu gave an embarrassed smile: “You should at least rest your eyes for a while. Look at me, I didn’t even know when I fell asleep.”
Qing Yao: “Unnecessary.”
Fu Yu: “People still need to sleep. Staying up late often will make you ugly.”
Qing Yao: “Then why do you have the face of someone who frequently stays up late?”
Fu Yu choked, her face flushing then paling. Remembering that this face now belonged to Zhao Hua, she felt slightly better: “Then why did you stay up all night, Senior Sister?”
Qing Yao looked up, sighing toward the ceiling beams: “Insomnia.”
Fu Yu choked again, this was a reason she had never expected.
For someone like her senior sister, she had originally assumed there would always be some solemn rationale behind her actions. She thought Qing Yao stayed awake to practice martial arts or meditate at night, never imagining it was simply because she… couldn’t… sleep…
Qing Yao asked: “Last night you told me you had something to say. What was it?”
Fu Yu froze, then lowered her head with a hint of shyness: “You probably wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
Qing Yao: “Then don’t say it.”
Fu Yu’s words stuck abruptly in her throat.
Indeed, no matter how grandly she phrased it, there was no guarantee the other would believe her. Better left unsaid, just like last time when she ran to Xiangxue Garden to confess her feelings, only to be labeled insane by the entire sect.
After pondering repeatedly, she suddenly remembered the Qing Yao figurine in her embrace. Hurriedly retrieving it, she walked up to Qing Yao: “Look, I carry you with me every day.”
Qing Yao glanced at the wooden doll in her hand: “So?”
Fu Yu looked up, her affectionate eyes gazing earnestly at Qing Yao: “Don’t you understand yet?”
If Qing Yao’s face were capable of dramatic expressions, her mouth would undoubtedly be twitching uncontrollably by now. But having maintained a deadpan expression for years, no matter how turbulent her inner thoughts, her face remained as calm as still water: “That you would show me this, I understand your meaning quite clearly.”
Fu Yu’s heart leapt with joy. As she thought, having a physical object as “proof of love” was essential. Since Qing Yao understood her meaning, she decided to pour more fuel on the fire: “To be perfectly honest, I spent countless days and nights carving this little figure. With every stroke of the knife, I thought of you once more. That’s why it looks so much like you.” With this embellished account, she refused to believe Qing Yao wouldn’t be moved.
Qing Yao raised a delicate eyebrow slightly. “So?”
Fu Yu replied, “I just wanted to tell you that because of this, Zhao Hua went out of her way to make things difficult for you before. But I’ve thought it through now, from now on, I will turn over a new leaf and start anew…” Wait, no, “What I mean is, whatever Zhao Hua did in the past is in the past. The me now will never treat you that way again.”
Qing Yao shook her head with a soft sigh, looking utterly helpless and unwilling to listen to any more of her nonsense. “Alright, I understand. I take my leave now.”
With that, she stood up, gave Fu Yu a look too complex to describe, clasped her hands behind her back, and left. Take care of yourself, and don’t wander around recklessly in the Fusheng Realm.
Left alone in the room, Fu Yu stood there holding the Qing Yao figurine, muttering to herself, “Why does it feel like I’ve been treated like a lunatic again? Could it be that Qing Yao thinks this figurine doesn’t look like her?”
Just then, her maid Qing Li entered. “Your Highness, I saw Qing Yao heading downstairs earlier, so I stopped her.”
Ignoring that, Fu Yu lifted the small figurine and asked, “What do you think of this doll’s craftsmanship?”
Qing Li glanced at it and replied, “It’s incredibly lifelike, it must be very effective.”
Fu Yu: ?
“Effective?”
Qing Li said, “Yes, such a finely made voodoo doll, custom-ordered from the top sorcerer in the martial world and blessed with sacred rites, it’s bound to work wonders for casting spells.”
Fu Yu’s lips twitched. “A voodoo doll?”
How utterly absurd, I actually used a voodoo doll to confess my feelings.
Curse me for getting what I wished for.