Chapter 42: Short Are These Bitter Days
Poor sword cultivators are like that, they can’t take out anything…
Yin Buran tilted her head and studied Ning Ruoque for a few seconds, then suddenly stood on her tiptoes and pressed her forehead against hers.
Ning Ruoque’s pupils shrank, and some not-so-distant memories came flooding back. A current of electricity shot from her heels to her spine, almost numbing half of her body.
She thought that Yin Buran was going to touch her spiritual soul again and panickedly tried to push her away. “What… what are you doing?”
Yin Buran instead wrapped her arms around Ning Ruoque’s neck, her expression sincere. “Just checking if your brain is missing anything.”
Why do you keep asking such pure and silly questions all day long?
After she finished speaking, she lazily nestled in the rattan chair.
The winter sun shone through the window lattice, making her look snow-white and bright, like a pearl in a dilapidated makeup box.
Ning Ruoque couldn’t take her eyes off her.
She pressed her lips together and thought for a long time, then continued to ask, “Yin Buran, you still haven’t answered me.”
Yin Buran turned a deaf ear to this and just said to herself, “I want to eat osmanthus honey lotus root.”
Ning Ruoque nodded without hesitation. “Alright, I’ll make it for you when we get back. Would you be unhappy if you saw me alone with someone else?”
“…”
Yin Buran stopped talking, her gaze sweeping gloomily over the side of Ning Ruoque’s neck, wishing she could take a fierce bite there.
She took a moment to compose herself before saying nonchalantly, “Why would I be unhappy? You have your own friends. It’s your freedom to be with whomever you like.”
Ning Ruoque insisted on a clear answer. “Then when I was pulled by Pengpeng to steam buns just now—”
This time, before she could finish, a steamed bun flew out of nowhere and smashed straight into Ning Ruoque’s face.
The latter just tilted her head slightly and caught it easily.
When she looked up again, Yin Buran was staring at her intently, her voice gloomy as she threatened, “If you ask again, I’ll bite you.”
She could take the initiative to make requests, and she could also coax Ning Ruoque. But if anyone dared to point out her little actions, she would become angry from embarrassment and want to send them flying.
After carefully observing Yin Buran’s reaction, Ning Ruoque finally got her answer.
The curve of her lips could no longer be controlled, and for some reason, she began to smile foolishly.
Yin Buran’s peripheral vision caught her eyes, which were overflowing with a smile, and she urged uncomfortably, “Turn around and smile. Don’t let me see.”
Ning Ruoque obediently turned around and continued to smile, but after this bout of laughter, her heart felt empty again.
That undecided marriage contract was like a silk thread tied to her heart. Whenever she was about to relax, the thread would pull up.
Even with the cold hilt of her sword in her hand, she could not calm this unease.
By the time she pulled herself out of her chaotic thoughts again, Yin Buran had already fallen asleep, her features serene, her breathing light.
Ning Ruoque took out a cloak to cover her. As she was tucking it in, she saw her lips move, as if she were murmuring in her sleep.
“Liar…”
Ning Ruoque frowned, a little wronged.
What did she lie to her about? Can she make it up?
*
As the You hour approached, Chu Xuan had already become so bored that she had made friends with the old yellow dog.
She watched as He Zhen taught Pengpeng to read medical books, feed the chickens, build a snowman in the open space in front of the village, and play cat’s cradle, just like sisters in an ordinary family.
The crisp laughter echoed through the village, and the rows of gloomy old houses seemed less terrifying.
She and the old yellow dog followed behind the two sisters. When they reached the small courtyard, the two sisters stopped.
“Is sister leaving again tonight?”
He Zhen stroked her head. “Mm.”
An expected answer. Pengpeng clutched He Zhen’s sleeve in disappointment and muttered, “I wish the day could be a little longer.”
She looked back at Chu Xuan, who was breaking a steamed bun to feed the dog, and heard He Zhen ask with a smile, “Does Pengpeng like the new guests?”
The child nodded decisively. “I like them. They don’t seem like bad people. Will they save my sister?”
Her dark eyes were full of anticipation, sparkling, even brighter than the little stars in the sky. It was hard not to feel pity for her.
The smile on He Zhen’s face deepened. She squatted down, brushed the stray hair from Pengpeng’s cheek behind her ear, her tone gentle.
“Go inside first. I’ll be there later.”
The child pouted, burrowed into He Zhen’s arms, and clung to her for a long time before she reluctantly stepped onto the stone steps leading home, looking back every three steps.
Just as Ning Ruoque was leaving with Yin Buran, the latter was leaning against Ning Ruoque with perfect ease, wishing she could just hang on to her.
Qingtong and Qieyu naturally followed behind the two of them.
He Zhen suddenly spoke, “May I trouble the two of you to look after Pengpeng?”
Qingtong looked around and pointed at herself. “Us?”
Apart from the two of them, there was no one more suitable here.
Yin Buran was silent for a moment, then said softly, “Go. Be careful.”
He Zhen said a polite word of thanks and turned to leave.
Winter nights fell early. The dim sky blurred the boundary between the forest and the village, making this place seem like an isolated island.
The wind howled, and the only light was left behind by the group. Ning Ruoque hugged Yin Buran even tighter.
She looked as if she could just pick her up and run at the slightest sign of trouble.
The group arrived at the very edge of the village, and He Zhen raised her hand to undo the barrier. A flight of stairs leading down appeared out of thin air, its destination unknown.
She walked slowly in the front and spoke as if in a casual chat.
“I’m a little surprised that Sect Master Chu didn’t just break in.”
Chu Xuan let out a cold sneer.
He Zhen acted as if she hadn’t heard and continued at an unhurried pace.
“I knew this day would come when the people from the Forging Fire Sect came looking. I just didn’t expect that a small medical cultivator like me could trouble the two of you. I’m truly flattered.”
As they went deeper, the cold air could even penetrate their cloaks, drilling into their bones inch by inch.
Seeing Yin Buran’s face gradually turn pale, Ning Ruoque was instantly flustered.
Chu Xuan’s face was dark as she replied, “I don’t see how flattered you are.”
If it weren’t for the child, she would have already grabbed her and interrogated her.
Yin Buran took out a small hand warmer and held it.
After Chu Xuan finished speaking, she deliberately snapped her fingers, and a cluster of scorching flames flashed out, making the surroundings even warmer.
Ning Ruoque pressed her lips together, feeling as if she had eaten an unripe green plum, both sour and astringent.
Poor sword cultivators are like that, they can’t take out anything.
Finally, an ordinary wooden door appeared before them.
He Zhen pushed the door open, and a cold, yin aura instantly gushed out, making one’s chest feel tight and uncomfortable.
Ning Ruoque was stunned.
As far as the eye could see was all flesh and blood. Frozen under the solid ice were dissected human bodies and different internal organs.
On the large table in the middle were books, paper, and a pen, and a strange incense-burner-like artifact.
And, in special containers, were writhing small Shirou.
Ning Ruoque subconsciously covered Yin Buran’s eyes, but her hand was slapped away fiercely.
Yin Buran’s expression was blank, and she looked much calmer than Ning Ruoque.
As if amused by the interaction between the two, He Zhen’s eyes curved, her smile resembling Pengpeng’s by seventy percent.
With this smile, she admitted quite frankly, “That’s right. I’m the one who captured people to test my medicine, and I’m also the one who raised that Shirou in Yunling Town.”
“I want to create an immortal body, but unfortunately, I’m always one step away.”
No matter how hard she tried, the person who merged with the Shirou would eventually be assimilated into a demon, it was just a matter of time.
She narrated slowly, “Although those two men were successfully resurrected, their character was really too poor. It would be terrible if Pengpeng picked them up. So I had to throw them to Yunling Town, and they could also lure some food for the Shirou.”
“As for Sect Master Chu’s three subordinates, it’s a pity that by the time I arrived, their bodies had already been digested by the Shirou and were unrecognizable.”
He Zhen smiled and spread her hands nonchalantly. “I only had time to stuff their remnant souls into a defective product. Can that be considered a token of my apology?”
Chu Xuan clenched her fists.
Knowing that this person was not a good person, and seeing the evil deeds she had done with her own eyes, were two completely different experiences.
The former would make one vigilant, while the latter would only leave anger.
Especially when she caught a glimpse of a red flame-patterned hem, the anger in her chest could not be suppressed at all.
She fiercely grabbed He Zhen’s collar and slammed her against the ice wall with a “bang.” The force was so great that cracks appeared in the ice.
“Do you know what you’re doing? How many people will that thing you created kill?!”
Her back was hit hard, and a trace of blood trickled from the corner of He Zhen’s mouth.
As soon as Chu Xuan let go, she fell to the ground limply, coughing until she was dizzy. The bandages on her hands, feet, and neck also began to seep with bright red.
Ning Ruoque did not stop Chu Xuan, only frowning, vaguely feeling that something was not right.
No resistance? Is it because her body is on the verge of collapse, or is she sincerely trying to atone for her sins?
After finally stopping her cough, He Zhen looked up, her eyes as calm as water, only her fingers trembled slightly.
“Sorry, I can’t control it anymore,” she forced a smile. “I don’t have long to live, and I really can’t deal with that Shirou. I can only trouble Sect Master Chu to eliminate the harm for the people.”
Then she added considerately, “Go now. You don’t have to worry about its main body escaping. If you’re any later, I can’t say for sure.”
Just as Chu Xuan was about to refute, she heard a muffled and noisy sound from a distance.
Like trees falling and earth and stones collapsing, some large animal was slowly moving towards Xiaochi Village.
She now understood the meaning of He Zhen’s “go now” and immediately wished she could punch this person again.
But the person before her smiled even more happily. “He Zhen has no other request, only to ask you to help me clean up the mess and then take Pengpeng away. I will hand over my life’s work.”
Chu Xuan was so disgusted that she couldn’t speak. The life’s work she was talking about, it couldn’t be this demonic “medical art,” right?
Ning Ruoque held her sword. “I’ll take care of it.”
They had to leave one person behind to prevent He Zhen from suddenly counterattacking. It was best to leave Chu Xuan.
But before she could move, she was stopped by Chu Xuan.
The person who was usually carefree and had no proper form now had a gloomy face. The air pressure around her was terrifyingly low, like a volcano that could erupt at any moment.
She asked He Zhen in a low voice, “How long do you think it will take me to kill it?”
He Zhen blinked and returned a sincere smile. “Less than half an hour, I think. It will be quick.”
The next second, Chu Xuan turned and left. As she passed by Ning Ruoque, she stuffed a talisman into her hand.
He Zhen watched her back, laughing until she coughed several times and vomited a large mouthful of blood.
But she looked up at Yin Buran without a care and commented casually, “Being too kind will make you live a very tiring life. If I could, I really wish Pengpeng could be a little bad.”
She lifted her chin at the table in the middle, her eyes scorching and pressing. “Divine Pivot Lord, do you need me to introduce my results to you? Bringing the dead back to life, this is the pinnacle of the medical dao.”
Yin Buran didn’t even give her a look.
She stood between ice and blood, her body like a snow-born plum blossom, unstained by a speck of dust, as if nothing around her could shake her state of mind.
She said lightly, “This kind of thing, full of loopholes, is it worthy of being shown to me?”
He Zhen’s expression changed in an instant.
“What did you say?”
