When she woke up again, three days had passed. The first thing she saw upon opening her eyes was Yu Qingya guarding her bedside.
Dark circles shadowed Yu Qingya’s eyes, and she sat leaning against the bedside, her hand propping up her chin as she dozed.
Seeing Yu Qingya’s condition, Qin Yu knew at once that she had kept vigil by the bed for a long time. She raised her hand, wanting to gently brush away the stray hairs on Yu Qingya’s forehead, but never expected that the other woman would open her eyes in an instant.
“You’re awake? How are you feeling?”
Yu Qingya’s voice was slightly hoarse, but the concern in her eyes could not be concealed.
“I’m fine. Why has Sister been guarding here this whole time? Come up and get some sleep for a while.”
Seeing Yu Qingya looking like this made Qin Yu’s heart ache fiercely, and she turned sideways to make room on the bed.
Yu Qingya looked at the empty space beside Qin Yu and pondered for a moment, saying, “Alright.”
Qin Yu’s heart skipped a beat, and just as she was about to lie down alongside Yu Qingya, the door was suddenly flung open.
“Senior Sister, go get some rest, let me—” The boisterous voice abruptly cut off as the person stared in shock at the two figures about to lie down together on the couch.
Qin Yu wondered who was interrupting her good moment, only to take a closer look and realize it was Su Qing! Su Qing? Why was she here? Qin Yu looked at Yu Qingya for help.
Yu Qingya wore a rather unfazed expression. “Since you have been asleep for three days, Su Qing kept vigil on the first day while I was busy handling some matters.”
Qin Yu wore an even more ghostly expression. Su Qing kept watch over her? This girl was doing well if she didn’t covertly plot against her in the book; why would she be so kind now? Besides, their very first meeting had been filled with the hostility of sworn enemies.
Only then did Su Qing speak up. “Senior Sister Qin Yu, I have some things I want to talk to you about. Do you have time?”
The alarm bells in Qin Yu’s mind rang out instantly. Was this person hatching some bad scheme again? “Sister, this…” Qin Yu looked uncertainly at Yu Qingya.
“It’s fine. Su Qing’s nature isn’t bad; she’s just a bit impulsive in her actions.”
Su Qing’s nature isn’t bad? Qin Yu wanted to roll her eyes, but managed to hold back out of consideration for Yu Qingya’s presence.
Since Yu Qingya had already said so, Qin Yu found it difficult to refuse, so she had no choice but to get up and walk outside.
“I advise you that if it’s nothing important, don’t go looking for trouble, otherwise I—” As they reached the side of the bamboo forest, before Qin Yu could finish her warning, Su Qing, who was following behind, dropped straight to her knees with a loud thud.
This posture gave Qin Yu such a start that she hurriedly turned around to help her up. “What are you doing? I didn’t tell you to kneel.”
If Yu Qingya saw this, she wouldn’t be able to clear her name even if she grew a hundred mouths.
“Thank you, Senior Sister Qin Yu, for saving my life. Not only did you save me, but you also saved Senior Sister, and furthermore, our entire Qinglian Pavilion.”
Looking at Su Qing, Qin Yu could tell her sincerity was genuine, and a nameless wave of emotion welled up in her heart.
“Saving your Senior Sister was only right. As for you, I can only say that if it weren’t for Sister’s request, I probably would have stood by and watched.”
Qin Yu ultimately spoke the truth, raising a hand to pull Su Qing to her feet.
Without Yu Qingya, she had no idea whether she would have saved Su Qing.
In truth, for the sake of eliminating future hidden dangers, she might have chosen not to save her, given that she wasn’t all that magnanimous.
“No matter what you say, you still saved me. From now on, my life is yours.”
Su Qing was a stubborn person, stating it just like that, straight from the heart.
Qin Yu couldn’t decide whether to laugh or cry. “What would I want with your life? Forget it, go back.”
Su Qing still wanted to say something, but Qin Yu waved her hand dismissively.
Seeing this, Su Qing had no choice but to retreat.
Watching Su Qing’s receding figure, Qin Yu fell into deep contemplation concerning this senior sister for the first time.
Ever since she transmigrated into the book, a lot of things had changed.
The time nodes for major events had been brought forward, and even the female character who had targeted her the most in the novel now stood on her side.
It was all too strange, Qin Yu thought.
Upon arriving in the book, she discovered many differences from when she was reading it.
Every single person possessed distinct and varied differences.
After all, during creation, characters were merely written flatly from a single perspective, but in this world, they were all three-dimensional and vibrant.
Just as Yu Qingya had said, by your side, it felt as though she had truly come alive.
Could it be that within the novel, their personalities had seemingly been preset, while her arrival caused them to change?
Lost in thought, Qin Yu realized it was already noon, so she picked up the food and headed to the room shared by the two of them.
“Have you two reconciled?”
Still preoccupied with her thoughts, Qin Yu entered the room only to find that Yu Qingya had already gotten up, looking directly at her as she spoke.
“Why didn’t Sister sleep a little longer? Mhm, we’ve reconciled.”
Qin Yu placed the food on the table and walked over to the edge of the couch.
Yu Qingya looked as though she had just woken up, her face still flushed with a faint rosy hue, and her eyes hazy with the lingering sleepiness of waking.
This vibrant look, far exceeding her usual demeanor, made Qin Yu’s heart skip even faster.
“Seeing you two chat for so long, did you talk about something interesting?”
Yu Qingya paused for a moment, asking with a feigned casualness.
Yet Qin Yu was still immersed in Yu Qingya’s beauty. “It wasn’t much. Just that she said she’d listen to me from now on and follow my lead in everything.”
As for whether she gave her life or not, speaking of it wasn’t really meant to be taken literally.
“Oh? Then Su Qing must value you quite a bit. She has always had a proud temperament, and very few people can make her submit.”
A shadow crossed the depths of Yu Qingya’s eyes.
Growing increasingly embarrassed by Yu Qingya’s words, Qin Yu quickly changed the subject. “I should also report that person we eliminated to my father. After all, if someone like that dares claim the title of Seventh Elder, the ones ranking before the top six must be even trickier. Passing the word back to the sect will also help remind the disciples to be cautious.”
Hearing this, Yu Qingya nodded as well. “I’ve already sent someone back to the sect to deliver a message today, and they should be returning. Would you like to come with me to the Qinglian Pavilion?”
Hearing Yu Qingya suddenly bring this up, Qin Yu’s heart skipped a beat. “Why so sudden?”
Her heart certainly wanted to go, but if she did that, what would the two of them be to each other? After these past few days, the heart of Qin Yu that had been beaten back by the word “friends” was beginning to stir restlessly once again.
“I previously gave you a Qinglian Pavilion token, but you never came, so this time I am personally inviting you. I wanted to cultivate together with you, but unfortunately, my master is currently in seclusion and I cannot leave, so I can only…”
Hearing the words “want to cultivate together with you,” Qin Yu’s mind could no longer hold anything else, and she nodded frantically.
Seeing Qin Yu agree so readily, the corner of Yu Qingya’s lips couldn’t help but curl into a smile. “My master should be coming out of seclusion soon as well. At that time, you can accompany me to go see my master.”
Just as those words fell, the door was pushed open once more.
This time, right as Qin Yu wanted to complain, she saw a Qinglian Pavilion male disciple rush in frantically. “Senior Sister, it’s bad! Master, she…”
Yu Qingya immediately stood up in tension. “What happened to Master?”
“Master… she failed her heavenly tribulation and has fallen.”