Chapter 35: Catching Demons (Part 4) Part 2

Jiang Yanyu pinched the little hand between two fingers and wobbled it, meeting those dark grape-like eyes. “Seems you like dangerous, exciting people. Hmm, coincidentally, so do I. Let’s high-five.”

Sheng He, of course, couldn’t understand what a high-five meant. She stared blankly at the outstretched palm, then opened her mouth and bit down on it.

Jiang Yanyu: “…”

Sheng Yuqing’s expression changed drastically. “Oh dear… this…”

Yun Jinxue laughed. The few remaining candles in the room all seemed to fall on her. Moonlight trembled softly, scattering its clear radiance.

Jiang Yanyu’s face was half-hidden in the shadows, dark currents swirling in her eyes. She followed the laughter to look at the person by the bedside. It was clearly a face she’d seen for many years, so familiar, yet it felt different every time.

So the moon was this changeable?

Sheng Yuqing pulled a square cloth from her bosom. “Immortal Lord, please use this to wipe. So sorry.”

Jiang Yanyu took the cloth and withdrew her hand to wipe it, saying slowly, “Little friend Sheng He, seeing as you’re still young, I won’t hold it against you. Please learn to high-five as soon as possible, okay?”

Sheng He had already thrown the matter to the winds and was now eyeing the rattle-drum hanging on the pretty woman’s waist.

Holding the little one back in her arms, Sheng Yuqing warned her, “Not this one, Sheng He. Be good. Don’t damage the Immortal Lord’s belongings. That must be some kind of magical artifact.”

Jiang Yanyu pulled out the rattle-drum and spun the handle. The wooden balls struck the drumhead. Dong, dong, dong.

Amidst the drumbeats, she said, “It’s not an artifact. It’s just a toy.”

Sheng Yuqing said, “Oh, I see.”

It did seem a bit strange for someone her age to still be playing with this. Worried she might misunderstand, Yun Jinxue explained, “She’s had it since she was small. Perhaps she’s grown attached to it.”

Sheng Yuqing seemed to understand well. “I also feel attached to things from my childhood. Just like the little tiger pendant on my sword. Everyone who sees it says I’m too old to still have such childish toys on there, that it’s embarrassing. But I just like it. Can’t help it.”

Yun Jinxue asked, “Was that little tiger woven by your mother?”

Sheng Yuqing replied, “Yes. The little ones’ hats too. My mother really enjoys these things.”

Yun Jinxue smiled. “Madam Sheng looks like someone with very clever hands.”

Sheng Yuqing said, “It’s a pity it was so rushed this time, otherwise I’d definitely have my mother make you something too.”

Yun Jinxue said, “No matter. You can always come visit the Divine Zenith Sect later.”

Sheng Yuqing froze. She tightened her arms around Sheng He. She bit her lip for a long moment before saying shakily, “I’m just a passerby in your lives, a stranger who happened to meet you. You’ve treated me so well, I don’t even know how to repay you.”

Yun Jinxue said gently, “Since you’re a cultivator, you can call me Senior Sister, just like the others.”

Sheng Yuqing straightened her back and said respectfully, “Greetings, Senior Sister.”

Yun Jinxue replied, “Then that settles it. All cultivators under heaven are one family. No need for more formalities.”

The night deepened. After discussing the plan for finding Qi Qiao a while longer, Sheng Yuqing took Sheng He and excused herself first.

Yun Jinxue rose and moved the maps and tray to the table.

Jiang Yanyu lay at the head of the bed, watching her bustle about, turning the rattle-drum in her hand. Dong, dong.

Returning to the bedside, Yun Jinxue extinguished the lamp and sat down. She pushed the motionless someone. “The bed is so big. Why are you squeezing over here with me? Move over.”

Jiang Yanyu rolled far away in one flop, then immediately rolled back. “Snuggling together is warm.”

Yun Jinxue said, exasperated, “The blankets Madam Sheng prepared are very thick.”

Jiang Yanyu replied, “Blankets are dead things. How can they give warmth?”

Amused and annoyed by this nonsense, Yun Jinxue burrowed into the blankets on her own. “Then don’t use them.”

A hot, steaming body pressed close. “Absolutely not.”

She let the person behind her stick close. Having just bathed, their bodies still carried a faint fragrance, especially noticeable inside the blankets.

Warmth quickly spread through the bedding, wrapping around their skin, exceptionally comfortable. Yun Jinxue closed her eyes. “Such a small toy, and you’ve kept it so long.”

Jiang Yanyu said, “This is the first gift I ever received. Of course, I’m going to keep it safe.”

She reached out, arm crossing over Yun Jinxue’s body, grasped her wrist, and brought it to her own waist, guiding it to touch a patch of cold.

“This knife is the second gift I received.”

This position instantly brought back to Yun Jinxue everything that had happened in the bath. She quickly withdrew her hand, coughing dryly. “Good, good.”

Jiang Yanyu laughed softly. She propped herself up, moving closer to her. “I’m very much looking forward to the third gift. Senior Sister, would you give me another?”

Unable to bear the hot breath, Yun Jinxue shrank back. “What else do you want?”

“I want…” Jiang Yanyu leaned down, her lips nearly touching the tip of her ear. “Senior Sister…”

Yun Jinxue said, “Hmm?”

Jiang Yanyu said, “I was saying, Senior Sister can give me anything.”

Yun Jinxue rolled over and lay flat, pushing the woman’s shoulder to make her lean back against the headboard. “Got it. Sleep well now. We have a long journey early tomorrow.”

Jiang Yanyu laughed, her shoulders shaking. “Fine, sleeping.”

But after lying down for only a moment, she asked again, “What was Senior Sister like when she was little?”

Was this because of Sheng He, making her curious about her own childhood?

If they were in her home world, remembering the past would be easy—just pull out a photo album. But now, she could only describe the past with meager words. And to this person missing from those crucial intersections, she could only hide her true self.

Yun Jinxue opened her eyes, staring at the pitch-black ceiling. “Nothing special. Just very ordinary, like all other children.”

Jiang Yanyu said, “I don’t believe it. Senior Sister is so beautiful now, you must have been even more adorable then.”

It was as if she were flipping through a photo album in her mind. The past, long pressed to the bottom of the trunk by a busy life, came flooding back in fragments.

To this day, Yun Jinxue could still vividly remember those colorful, gaudy, perhaps not very aesthetic, but charmingly rich fragments of time. She remembered her friends, her parents, her relatives, and her pets, who had woven for her a childhood as beautiful as a dream.

She remembered the first time she went on a long trip. Just as she was about to tie her shoelaces while putting on her shoes…

Her parents, there to see her off, stopped her. They each crouched before her, using different methods to tie her shoelaces into distinctly shaped butterfly knots on her two feet.

“Be careful on the road.”

After countless repeated reminders, the figures outside the car window gradually receded, shrinking into two indistinguishable shadows, like a base color painted into a landscape that would never change.

Yun Jinxue softened her breathing, afraid that trembling too obviously might let her companion notice something strange.

In the darkness, a hand reached over, touching the dampness at the corner of her eye. The woman chuckled lowly. “Senior Sister is crying, after all.”

She had noticed, after all.

Yun Jinxue swatted her hand away and covered her mouth. Flushed with embarrassment and anger, she said, “You… stop talking now. Sleep. Really, I’m tired.”

Her palm met those soft lips, feeling the warm air of her breath. Yun Jinxue froze slightly, slowly pulling her hand back.

But just halfway back, a waist was embraced. A hand parted her palm and clasped one of her fingers.

Jiang Yanyu buried her face into the crook of her neck. “Alright. Let’s sleep well then. Good night, Senior Sister.”

The hand halfway withdrawn paused, then slowly settled down, resting on the woman’s back.

Yun Jinxue closed her eyes and whispered, “Good night.”

When they woke the next day, Sheng Yuqing was at the door. “Senior Sister, breakfast is ready. You can come straight over once you’re done getting ready.”

They answered, washed up, and went to the main hall once they were tidied.

The table was laden with fragrant, delicious dishes, all exquisite fare served on beautiful plates and bowls clearly reserved only for honored guests. The tablecloth was richly colored and embroidered with many images of wide-mouthed babies eating.

The head of the Sheng household, Sheng Wenbin, was also there, dressed in plain clothes, posture straight, with a neatly trimmed short beard. He was helping Madam Sheng set out chopsticks.

Seeing the visitors, Sheng Wenbin cupped his hands in salute. “Greetings to the two Immortal Lords.”

His voice was resonant, his countenance upright and his entire bearing refined. This was no ordinary man. It was truly strange that such a family would live in a remote corner of Bright Terrace.

Yun Jinxue returned the gesture. “No need for such courtesy.”

Madam Sheng beamed with a smile that never left her face, a joyous expression that made anyone who saw her feel sunny. “Come, come, come! Time to eat!”

Everyone took their seats. Sheng Wenbin said, “I returned home late last night and was unable to greet the Immortal Lords. I beg your forgiveness.”

Yun Jinxue said, “Our sudden visit was already an intrusion. We should be apologizing, but Madam Sheng didn’t mind. We should be the ones saying sorry.”

Madam Sheng dispensed with these extravagant formalities. She picked up the serving chopsticks and served them food. “Both Immortal Lords are so thin. Eat more! You need strength to catch demons!”

Yun Jinxue smiled. “Thank you, Madam Sheng.”

Sheng Wenbin took a bite of food, chewed, and swallowed before saying, “I heard my daughter will be accompanying the Immortal Lords on this demon-catching expedition. She’s still young and inexperienced. Will she cause you a lot of trouble?”

Glancing at Sheng Yuqing, Yun Jinxue saw the girl, already starting to shrink back timidly because of her father’s words, sneaking a look at her.

Yun Jinxue said, “Not at all. She’s a very quick-witted child with decent aptitude. She just lacks real combat experience.”

Upon hearing this, Sheng Wenbin burst into hearty laughter. “For our Yuqing to receive such praise from an Immortal Lord one day—it’s the greatest comfort of my life! Did you know, Immortal Lord, that Yuqing actually has an older brother and an older sister above her? Both are mortals. We ourselves never expected our youngest daughter to become a cultivator. What fortune.”

‘Mortals’ generally refers to those completely unable to cultivate spiritual power.

Yun Jinxue said, “If we successfully find Qi Qiao this time, perhaps it will give Yuqing more opportunities for training in the city. There are many things one can do as an official cultivator. It can enrich her life experiences, and she won’t have to work shifts at a tavern. Life will be easier.”

Sheng Wenbin was dazed for a moment. He picked up some scrambled egg, chewed slowly, and swallowed. Then he sighed softly. “If it weren’t for those bastards, why would my daughter need to…”

“Cough, cough, cough.” Sheng Yuqing suddenly coughed a few times and quickly added, “Immortal Lords, please eat. My mother’s cooking is excellent.”

The words Sheng Wenbin hadn’t finished trailed off. He laughed heartily again. “Yes, yes, yes. Immortal Lords, please eat more.”

After saying this, Sheng Wenbin set down his chopsticks and cupped his hands. “Regardless, the Immortal Lord’s kindness in mentoring my daughter is a grace this humble man will never forget.”

It felt as if she were once again seeing the girl’s gratitude from the night before. Yun Jinxue smiled lightly. “No need for that. It was merely a small effort.”

Sitting in Madam Sheng’s arms, the milky meatball was eating, her mouth covered in grease. Lifting her spoon, she shouted, “I wanna catch demons too! I wanna cultivate immortality!”

The whole room laughed. Madam Sheng straightened her hat. “When you’re older, you can cultivate with your sister.”

During the meal, since several of the children loved hearing little stories about cultivation adventures, Yun Jinxue recounted some anecdotes about Divine Zenith Sect disciples catching demons.