Chapter 37: Qi Qiao (Part 2) Part 1

◎I want to be reckless one more time◎

The pond bottom was deep and dark. A chaotic mix of underwater sounds filled her ears, but the moment their lips met, every trembling noise against her eardrums was instantly suppressed. All that remained was the deafening thunder of her own heartbeat, echoing from the chambers of her heart.

The blue pearl was still in her mouth, yet Yun Jinxue began to suffocate. She grew dizzy and lightheaded. Though immersed in pond water, she felt parched, her entire body searing with heat.

She struggled to open her eyes. The narrow slits of her vision reflected the bizarre, dazzling underwater world and the woman’s face so close to her own.

Yun Jinxue reached out, the unpleasant sensation of impending suffocation upon her. Her hand found and grasped the hem of the red robe within her hazy sight. Her other hand lifted to rest on the shoulder of the person before her. She had no strength; it could only land there limply, her fingertips trembling.

Jiang Yanyu’s eyes were deep and profound, her gaze fixed on the space between her brows and eyes.

In her heart, she understood they should go up now. Yet she was lost in this moment, unable to pull herself away, simply deepening her plunder of the person in her arms.

Amidst the chaos and scorching heat, her memories were heated too. They seemed to become as murky as the riot of colors and lights at the bottom of this pond, swirling together and blurring.

She remembered her past life. She had stumbled ignorantly into the human world, suffering untold bitterness and grievances. The endings she could choose for herself still led only to cold desolation.

The vast, drifting snowflakes that filled the sky gradually blanketed the thousand-li crimson mountains. It was just like herself, submerged and swallowed whole by the snow that had unknowingly covered her entire world.

Two lifetimes, and I had never tasted sweetness. Have I finally tasted it now?

Exerting force amidst the increasingly surging tide of emotion, a bloody red gradually surfaced in Jiang Yanyu’s eyes. A fire-like, blazing desire burned within them. But no matter how deeply she indulged, within the melting mass of her consciousness, she finally noticed that her Senior Sister’s brows were knitting together slightly.

Sensing the discomfort of the person in her arms, Jiang Yanyu jolted back to her senses. The blood red instantly receded.

She pulled back her body and held the completely limp woman close. Knowing she was uncomfortable, she wanted to tell her to breathe. But then she saw the person’s face was flushed, her grasp only on her shoulder, and the rims of her eyes were reddened. It was truly seductive.

Jiang Yanyu stared blankly for a moment. She knew she was not a good person. At least in this matter of savoring something once having known its taste, she seemed to have completely lost all self-control. She wanted nothing more than to continue, heedless of anything else. It had been the same before. She had wanted to see Senior Sister cry, so she deliberately used the medicine that stung the wound the most. What did she care if it hurt, if it was uncomfortable?

But now, holding this person in her arms, with ten thousand raging fires in her chest awaiting release, she found that, for the first time, she could not continue knowing full well her discomfort.

Jiang Yanyu licked her lips, suppressing the urge to peck at them again. Her palm covered the woman’s lips, mouthing the words to her: “Senior Sister, breathe.”

The pressure pushing against her lips and teeth dissolved, replaced by the warmth of a palm.

Yun Jinxue slowly recovered her awareness. Within her chaotic vision was the gorgeous woman’s silently opening and closing lips, the hair floating like seaweed, and…

“Senior Sister, breathe.”

And those eyes, rippling with soft waves of watery color.

Yun Jinxue met that gaze. Breathing in and out, she gradually found her own rhythm of breath again.

The blue pearl’s effect was likely about to run out. Seeing her mostly recovered, Jiang Yanyu led her upwards. They broke through the water’s surface, and the daylight scattered down, causing all the surging emotions to curl inward slightly.

Qi Qiao sat on a small stool, combing her long hair. Seeing this, she said, “You got it? Took long enough. Heavenly Spring Water is many times harder to acquire than that thing. Will you be able to manage it?”

Unexpectedly, the woman in red didn’t retort. Instead, she carefully helped the other woman onto the shore, asking softly, “Are you alright, Senior Sister?”

Yun Jinxue leaned against her, nodding sullenly.

Jiang Yanyu used spiritual power to dry them both. Her gaze inadvertently swept across the neck of the woman before her. The skin, like jade snow, was now flooded with pink, even her ear tips were red beyond reason.

Her heart’s cavity was like a furnace, boiling a pot of water. Bubbles gurgled upwards, overflowing. Jiang Yanyu wanted to hold it back, but the corner of her lips still curled up in the end.

Yun Jinxue didn’t dare look at her. Her whole being was overcome with restless agitation.

Even now, she still had little strength in her body. Yet leaning against her Junior Sister under the gaze of another was somewhat inappropriate. She stood up straight by herself and stepped a little ways away.

The blue pearl had been pressed under her tongue. Now she pushed it past her lips and teeth. It landed wetly in her palm. She covered it with her other hand.

Holding the blue pearl, the back of her hand gently touched her lips. They were still somewhat numb and stinging. The tip of her tongue was uncomfortable too.

The rims of her eyes were still red. The heat on her body was something Yun Jinxue couldn’t do anything about. She could only cast her gaze downwards, looking at the clusters of flowers and grass on the ground, waiting for all these strange sensations to fade from her body and mind.

Jiang Yanyu watched her back steadily. An elegant Immortal Lord, standing poised and alone. Yet just moments ago, she had trapped her beneath the pond’s waters and tasted her to her heart’s content.

She swallowed, her index finger unconsciously twining a strand of long hair. It was already dry, yet it felt as if she were still underwater, that person’s damp hair flowing between her fingers.

Sensing something jumping in her hand, Jiang Yanyu tore her gaze away from her and looked down. It was a carp thrashing its head and tail wildly.

Qi Qiao had clearly seen it too. She said, slightly speechless, “Why did you catch a fish too? Are you going to throttle it to death?”

Jiang Yanyu was also stunned. Just now, focused only on quickly bringing the person up, she might have pushed aside a few fish blocking their way. She just hadn’t expected to grab one and bring it up too.

And what’s more, to suppress that wave after wave of increasingly intense restlessness, her hand had used considerable strength. She had almost squeezed the fish dead.

Jiang Yanyu gave a dry cough and pretended nothing had happened, tossing the fish back. “Oh. Little Scallion Qi, my apologies.”

Qi Qiao couldn’t bear it any longer and said, “Could you please just not be polite when you’re insulting someone? Is that possible?”

She got no response. This fellow was spacing out again.

Qi Qiao, annoyed, looked at the two of them. Both seemed utterly distracted, as if their souls had been hooked and stolen away. She had no idea what exactly happened down there to snatch their souls away.

Clapping her hands, Qi Qiao spoke again. “Why are you both silent? What about the Rainbow Scale?”

Yun Jinxue rubbed her palm and glanced back once, then turned away again. The heat on her face hadn’t subsided yet.

Jiang Yanyu took the Rainbow Scale out from her robes. “Here it is. Here.”

Qi Qiao took the Rainbow Scale, her suspicious gaze sweeping back and forth between them. “You two are acting so strange…”

Jiang Yanyu said, “Ahem, let’s quickly inscribe the oath.”

Qi Qiao’s current body was only the size of a human child of a few years. Her hands were naturally tiny as well. The Rainbow Scale, barely half the size of a palm in Jiang Yanyu’s hand, practically covered Qi Qiao’s entire hand. She looked like a child playing with a toy.

Rolling up her sleeves, Qi Qiao solemnly raised her right hand. Several tender, flexible twigs grew from her fingertips and began carving on the surface of the Rainbow Scale.

By the time the heat on her face had mostly dissipated, Yun Jinxue walked over to the weapon array and retrieved both weapons. She asked, “How is Yuqing?”

Sheng Yuqing said, “I’m fine. Immortal Lords, are you two alright? You seem a bit… off.”

Indeed, they were off. But her world, as yet unpolluted by matters of the heart, could not understand those gazes that clung together even as they missed each other. It could not understand those two faces invaded by brilliant red, or the restless agitation steeped in the atmosphere.

Yun Jinxue held Heartfire Glow in her hand. She glanced down at it, then averted her eyes. Her voice was faint as she said, “Nothing.”

Being taken advantage of a little by someone she herself raised… it was nothing.

Mm. Nothing.

“Alright.” Qi Qiao shook out her wide sleeves and displayed the Rainbow Scale. “I’ve finished the inscription. The oath is made.”

Jiang Yanyu swept a casual glance over it. “Alright.”

Qi Qiao: “…” Are you that busy?

Putting the Rainbow Scale away safely, Qi Qiao stood up. “Let’s set off now. I’ll escort you out of the Great Yan Forest.”

Retracing their original path, the wondrous scenes of the Spring Sea Wonder Pond gradually melted away. The group returned to that gloomy, damp forest once more.

They went back to where they had rested, gathered all their things, and each led a horse demon as they headed outwards.

The surrounding forest seemed to dote on her especially. With Qi Qiao clearing the way ahead, the path became much easier to travel. From time to time, little animals would hop over, holding food in their arms. They would pass it to Qi Qiao, lick her fingers, and then bounce away.

After traveling like this for a while, Jiang Yanyu spoke. “A thing like Heavenly Spring Water can’t only be obtained from the Sky’s Edge Sea, right? If it’s sold in outside markets, buying some directly should be enough.”

A tree branch happened to block the way ahead. Yun Jinxue was about to brush it aside when a hand reached out sideways and pushed the branch away.

Yun Jinxue stared for a moment, then raised her eyes to look at her.

Jiang Yanyu had seemed to be waiting for her answer. Only when she noticed her looking did she realize her own subconscious action.

Her gaze rippled. She asked softly, “What is it?”

“No…” Yun Jinxue retracted her gaze. A trace of a smile spread on her lips. “We can. Once we get out, we’ll first check if any is being sold on the market.”

Silence fell between them again. But a breeze gradually picked up, as if sweeping away all the stifling air in the forest, leaving clarity and a sense of distance.

After traveling another stretch of distance, as they passed a giant banyan tree, a flash of white suddenly descended from the sky, landing lightly on the ground.

The four of them were all startled, stepping back slightly. Qi Qiao said, “Who are you?”

The woman in white stood with her back to the group, facing the wind. The drooping aerial roots of the giant banyan swayed around her.