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The familiar, tidy interior of the Immortal's Junkyard comforted Qing Xuanling, but more than that, what truly stirred her heart was the well-proportioned figure of that red-haired, green-eyed woman who always made her heart race.
Madam Yechan hadn't changed at all since the last time they'd met. Her face, her eyes, and even those those cute freckles beneath the outer corners of each eye remained exactly the same.
"As mischievous as ever~" Owner Yechan laughed at her dazed expression. "Are you going to stare me down all day, or are you going to say hello?"
'...Her voice also remains the same'
Qing Xuanling smiled. The awkwardness she feared feeling was nowhere to be found. She sighed in relief and quickly approached Madam Yechan.
"Who was staring at you down?! I was just checking if you were still healthy! That's all! I was worried about your health!" Qing Xuanling blushed at her own nonsense, but didn't have many better excuses at the moment...
"Oh, really? And what did you see, am I well or unwell?" Madam Yechan smiled provocatively.
Qing Xuanling discreetly glanced toward the area below Madam Yechan's neck and quickly looked away again. "...Quite well, as always."
Madam Yechan laughed heartily. "You're still as silly as ever~"
Qing Xuanling chuckled as well. "Aren't you going to bring out at least some snacks now that I'm finally here? It's been a while since I last visited! I think it's worth bringing some out!"
"Don't even think about drinking this early in the day!" Madam Yechan looked at her disapprovingly for a moment before smiling. "But I suppose I can bring out some treats. Come, let's go upstairs. I'll close the shop for now. Not many people come by anyway."
Both women went upstairs. Qing Xuanling sat at the dining table while watching Madam Yechan rummage through the cabinets for some sweet cookies. Seeing her back, even though she knew she shouldn't, she couldn't help but ask.
"Aren't you going to ask why I didn't come last month?"
Madam Yechan's movements remained smooth, as if she hadn't heard the question at all. "Should I be curious? Ling'er, we're cultivators. It's normal to spend months, even years, in seclusion. I just assumed you were focused on your training."
Qing Xuanling was already riding the tiger's back, so there was no backing down now. She pressed on.
"So you didn't think I might be avoiding coming because I started suspecting you for not directly telling me that assassins were waiting to ambush me? I mean, I used to come at least once a week before. It's a routine I've kept for over two years."
"Was that bothering you?"
Madam Yechan set a plate of cookies on the table as she sat down. She looked directly at Qing Xuanling. Her jade-green eyes were like a still lake, void of any emotional turbulence.
Qing Xuanling frowned.
"Shouldn't it? Well, I think anyone would be angry if someone they considered a friend didn't clearly warn them when danger was near!" She huffed, slightly more agitated than before.
Madam Yechan simply watched her calmly, saying nothing or offering any excuses. That calm gaze extinguished any agitation Qing Xuanling had been feeling. She glared resentfully at Madam Yechan as she grabbed a cookie.
"Can you at least say something? I'm not really that upset you didn't tell me, but you could've at least offered some comforting words..." Qing Xuanling lowered her gaze, dejected.
The corner of Madam Yechan's lip twitched at the sight. 'So cute!!'
However, her face didn't betray her inner thoughts, and she simply smiled faintly.
"I really don't have any excuse to give you. What I did was indeed somewhat wrong. I should have warned you." Madam Yechan shook his head. "But if it makes you feel better, I didn't warn you clearly simply because I felt it would be a good experience for you. It's also because that confident look you had that night was quite annoying~"
Qing Xuanling looked at Madam Yechan's smile with indignation. "I could have died, you know?!"
"But you're here now, aren't you~? I knew someone like you wouldn't die so easily from a few low-life thugs!" Madam Yechan raised her arm half-heartedly, as if cheering for Qing Xuanling...
Qing Xuanling gritted her teeth. She felt like she wasn't being taken seriously at all!
An idea suddenly popped into her head, making her smile inwardly. Qing Xuanling rested her chin on her hand while feigning a casual change of subject.
"Sigh... Elder Sister Su wouldn't be like this! She was much kinder to me during the days I stayed with her! Oh right, I didn't tell you I stayed with her, did I? It was really nice!" Qing Xuanling smiled "excitedly".
Madam Yechan's eyelid twitched imperceptibly.
"...Is that so? I thought I told you not to get close to her, but I suppose you're old enough to decide who you associate with. Though what happened that made you end up staying with her?"
A defeated look appeared on Qing Xuanling's face. She was momentarily at a loss for words. In the end, she sighed and recounted her recent experiences, making sure to avoid mentioning anything related to the Green Breeze University.
It was a clan secret, after all.
The conversation grew more lively as time passed, but even so, Qing Xuanling couldn't shake the feeling that there was a wall separating her and Madam Yechan.
'Was the wall there from the beginning, or did something happen recently...?'
She didn't know if she had been too foolish to notice it before, but Madam Yechan always seemed to be holding back. That immensely bothered her.
But she kept that anger locked inside, even as she stood at the door, bidding farewell.
"I'll visit again soon, so save more of those cookies for me! They were so delicious!"
Madam Yechan watched Qing Xuanling's figure leave the Immortal's Junkyard and sighed.
"I feel bad for the girl, but my time for games is running out. If the information Su Meiren gave me is correct, things are going to get ugly in a month... I might have to go into hiding for a while after that, so it's best to start preparing her."
Mei Yechan's gaze softened slightly. Her face, now that Qing Xuanling was gone, looked slightly exhausted. Her gaze was distant, as if recalling things from a long-lost past. Her expression was empty.
"Hehe."
A soft laugh escaped her lips as she remembered something recent.
"Did that brat really try to make me jealous? How childish~" She brought a hand to her forehead. "That girl is smart, so she must have realized my relationship with Su Meiren isn't normal... I hope she doesn't go asking Su Meiren questions. That fool might say unnecessary things to Ling'er."
"Speaking of which, maybe I should train with Su Meiren a bit... We haven't done it in years."
Someone was severely beaten that night for no apparent reason.
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Qing Xuanling returned to her room. Her expression was somewhat sullen. She wasn't in the best mood. Even though she had a good time with Madam Yechan as usual, she still felt somewhat bitter. She couldn't help but mock herself.
"Why am I acting like this? It's not like things are that different from before anyway. Madam Yechan has never told me much about herself, she might not even consider me a friend. Maybe I'm just an interesting brat to her..."
Qing Xuanling's face darkened as she bit her lip. '...Damn, I shouldn't have said that.'
A deep sigh escaped her lips as she entered her room. She didn't want to think about it anymore. She could fall into inner demons if she kept this up.
Someone, unexpectedly, was already in her room.
"Hey, main body~" Xuan Dan smiled when he saw her. "It's been a while. I heard the mission was a total success?"
Qing Xuanling smiled upon seeing Xuan Dan. Her dark expression vanished quickly. "Yes, I actually gained quite a lot, even a storage ring! Ah, though I still have to refine it with my divine sense..."
The incarnation and the main body quickly caught up. Although Qing Xuanling could absorb all the knowledge of what Xuan Dan did and learned, that wasn't the case for Xuan Dan.
Qing Xuanling had to personally inform Xuan Dan if she wanted her incarnation to be aware of what had happened over the past week.
"It was an intense week! Good thing I didn't go~" Xuan Dan smiled in relief. "I actually had a pretty good time here. Teacher Wangu is quite good at teaching. I learned to make over a hundred different types of pills, though they're only low-grade."
Qing Xuanling's eyes widened. "That's quite a lot of pills even if they're only low-grade! You're seriously impressive! I don't think there's anyone with similar alchemy talent even in the nearby cities, maybe even in the entire region..."
The corner of Xuan Dan's lip lifted. It was truly satisfying to receive praise from the main body. "Do you want me to enter your divine sea immediately? You might get a pretty bad headache from all the information, so it'd be best to do it early so you can cultivate properly tonight."
Qing Xuanling grimaced but nodded. Xuan Dan was right.
Xuan Dan quickly transformed into a ray of light that shot into the center of Qing Xuanling's forehead, causing her intense pain. She clutched her head tightly and began writhing on the floor.
"Argh, damn it, I really will never get used to this feeling!"
The process stretched on for over fifteen minutes, during which Qing Xuanling didn't stop sweating and breathing heavily. Her face was completely pale when it finally ended.
Xuan Dan looked at her with concern when she emerged again. "Whoa, you really look terrible! Sorry, I'll try to slow down a bit next time... Maybe that way your brain will be able to accept my knowledge more easily."
"Why do I feel like you're insulting me...?"
"...Must be your imagination."
Qing Xuanling rolled her eyes as she stood up. "Try it if you want to get a beating from the master... I didn't expect her to be so brutal."
There was one thing Qing Xuanling could say now that she had Xuan Dan's memories and experience. Never make the master angry!
'Even the way I refer to her has changed...'
Qing Xuanling shivered. She quickly thought of something else to shake off the bad feeling. "Oh right, I still haven't tried refining that ring. Can you help me, Xuan Dan? Our divine sense should be the same, so there shouldn't be a problem..."
"Sure, we can try..."
At the same time, in a certain courtyard.
"Insolent! How dare you judge the actions of the main family?! Do you want to follow in the footsteps of those useless brothers and die, you filthy bitch?!"
A fierce-looking guard forcefully shoved the body of a light green-haired girl.
The girl glared fiercely at the guard. "What a great Mo clan! Truly magnificent! You treat those you deem lacking in purity like dogs, while even useless scum less than dogs are treated like kings just for having darker hair!"
The guard's eyes turned red with rage.
"Brat, I warned you to keep your mouth shut!"
The guard reinforced his fist with Qi and began violently beating the girl.
The girl's body writhed under the blows. Her skin, already pale and covered in blue bruises, was stained red as she spat blood. But the fierce, murderous glare in her eyes didn't change. If anything, it grew more intense.
Images of her three brothers, who had disappeared over a month ago, flashed in the girl's mind, each with a different personality. One was talkative and arrogant, another quieter than a rock, and the third as loyal as a horse. Though somewhat annoying, they were the people she cared for most.
She still felt she could see them every time she looked at her own light green hair, the same shade as theirs.
'Oh Mo clan, I swear upon my life, I, Mo Yue, will tear this clan apart with my own hands, and destroy whoever killed my brothers!'