Chapter 38 Part 1

Li Jiangying’s first thought: Could this be yet another romantic entanglement of mine?

This was really too much. One little madwoman was enough of a headache; adding a skeleton to the mix would drive her completely insane.

However, although Shi Yanran looked terrifying, she seemed quite rational. Li Jiangying probed cautiously, “What is your relationship with… that person?”

Shi Yanran had wanted to smile to express goodwill, but as soon as she smiled, Li Jiangying would offer a polite, pained grimace that said you’re creepy but I’m being nice, so Shi Yanran stopped trying.

Using the sound of the wind, it was impossible to simulate a voice as vivid and rich as a living person’s. Because of this, her words always sounded extraordinarily calm in Li Jiangying’s ears.

“Jiangying, you once saved me and taught me. I am very grateful to you.” Shi Yanran said, “Some things have passed. Since you have forgotten, it’s better not to mention them. I have waited for you for a long time. It is time to return those things to you.”

Li Jiangying pondered for a moment, her eyes lighting up. “I was kind to you?”

Shi Yanran nodded with a clattering sound.

Li Jiangying clapped her fist into her palm happily. It seemed this skeleton comrade not only wouldn’t harm her, but might actually become an ally. Of course, she couldn’t rule out the possibility that she was lying.

Li Jiangying finally asked the question she’d been dying to have answered: “In that case, can you tell me exactly what the relationship between that person and Li Yueying was? What happened between them in the past?”

When lucid, Li Yueying wanted to kill her; when mad, she clung to her desperately. Li Jiangying suspected the original owner of this name had callously abandoned the madwoman.

Shi Yanran slowly asked in return, “She didn’t tell you?”

Li Jiangying sighed. “No. I’m afraid of provoking her, so I don’t dare ask too many questions. Pretending to be this person while knowing absolutely nothing is really too difficult.”

Shi Yanran then said, “Seeing how protective she is of you, I thought you two had already reconciled.”

Li Jiangying shook her head. “I don’t remember anything, so how could there be any reconciliation?” She swallowed the bitter complaint that the lucid Li Yueying wanted to kill her.

“And?”

“Nothing. Can you tell me about the past?”

Shi Yanran shook her head. “Please forgive me. If you have already forgotten, then do not try to remember. Those are not things worth recalling.”

Li Jiangying said, “None of you will say anything. Aren’t you just making this difficult for me?”

As if in shame, Shi Yanran lowered her skull. “I’m sorry, Jiangying. Forgive me for those things…”

“Forget it.” Li Jiangying took a deep breath and said, “Although you won’t talk, there’s something I must tell you. I might not be the person you’re looking for.”

Shi Yanran’s head trembled in confusion. “What?”

“Am I really exactly the same as the person in your memories?”

Shi Yanran was stunned. She scrutinized Li Jiangying carefully and couldn’t help but feel alarmed. “No! Looking closely, there are indeed some slight differences. She was a little shorter, and not as spirited and confident.”

Li Jiangying only regretted that the skull had no flesh, making it impossible to read her expression. She sneered, “I’m a mortal. The person you’re looking for existed thousands of years ago. Although I resemble her closely, have none of you considered the possibility that I might be her descendant?”

Shi Yanran was shocked.

Li Jiangying had been holding this in for a long time. Finally meeting someone who knew the original owner and wasn’t completely insane, she couldn’t hold back and spilled all her deductions. “Without a doubt, I am a mortal. A mortal from a different world.”

“I couldn’t possibly live that long, so that person must be my ancestor, right? You were close to her—do you know if she had any descendants?” Li Jiangying decided to foist her own problems onto someone else.

“Since you owe her a debt of gratitude, it’s highly likely I’m her descendant. Could I ask you to investigate for me?”

After a long pause, Shi Yanran recovered her wits from this horrifying possibility. “But, Jiangying, it shouldn’t be so…”

Li Jiangying spread her hands rascally. “I’m not afraid to tell you the truth. There’s a demon core inside me slowly turning me into a demon, but I, myself, am indeed an ordinary person. If you don’t believe me, see for yourself.”

Shi Yanran extended a skeletal hand. Her finger bones rested on Li Jiangying’s wrist, and a stream of chilling cold energy entered her body. Moments later, she stumbled back in a daze, the wind wailing around her like ghostly cries.

Seeing this, Li Jiangying felt a secret satisfaction and coughed lightly. “Li Yueying is a mindless madwoman. No matter how I explain or deny things, I can only be that person in front of her. But you—I believe you are a good person!”

As she finished speaking, Li Jiangying reached out and forcefully patted the skeleton’s shoulder. Ouch, that was hard.

Li Jiangying smiled. “I didn’t mean to impersonate her. I really had no choice. If you still feel grateful for her kindness, please investigate the true relationship between me and her. If possible, I hope you can clear up my confusion.”

Hopefully then, she could find her own past.

As if struck by a tremendous shock, Shi Yanran stood frozen in place, the soul fire in her eye sockets dancing wildly. After a long while, she slowly said:

“Five thousand years ago, Jiangying left. She never appeared again after that… But, since it is your request, I will do it.”

Li Jiangying started counting on her fingers.

“What are you doing?” Shi Yanran asked.

Li Jiangying replied, “I’m counting how many ‘greats’ she’d be to my grandmother.”

Shi Yanran was speechless.

Five thousand years was simply too long to count. Li Jiangying eventually gave up. She looked up at Shi Yanran. “I almost forgot to ask. Why did you secretly bring me out here?”

“Jiangying, I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to tell you…” Her words suddenly cut off. The skeleton slowly calmed down. “Sorry, I forgot again. You might not be her.”

“It’s fine. You can treat me as her for now.”

Shi Yanran said, “Jiangying, if Yueying attacks you, I will protect you.”

Li Jiangying raised an eyebrow. “Can you beat her?”

Shi Yanran said, “She cannot hurt me. However…” Although it was the sound of the wind, Li Jiangying could still hear the embarrassment in her next words, “I can only come out at night.”

Li Jiangying grunted, “Oh.” What a letdown.

Disappointed, she waved her hand. “If there’s nothing else, send me back.”

Dejected, Shi Yanran lowered her head and reached out to take Li Jiangying’s hand. Like wind and mist, she carried Li Jiangying back to that small courtyard. Her cultivation was extremely high, and her stealth skills were formidable. No one had noticed the two leave and return.

Shi Yanran watched Li Jiangying enter the room. The azure soul fire within the white bones flickered quietly. Li Jiangying couldn’t help but ask one last question, “You won’t tell me anything else, so let me ask you one final question. You must answer me. That person and Li Yueying—were they lovers?”

Seeing Shi Yanran nod, a subtle, inexplicable bitterness rose from her heart, surged through her veins to her throat, and reached the root of her tongue. Li Jiangying licked her lips and gave a low chuckle. “Thank you.”

Saying this, she closed the door and sat down heavily next to Li Xiangshui. The sound of the door closing woke Li Xiangshui. Opening her eyes to see Li Jiangying sitting beside her with a dark expression, she couldn’t help but be startled.

“What are you doing?”

Li Jiangying really didn’t want to talk. She shot her a glance, flipped herself onto the bed, pulled the covers over herself, closed her eyes, and fell asleep in one breath.

Li Xiangshui exclaimed, “Are you for real?!”

Li Jiangying had been awake for a long time but lay on her side, refusing to get up or sleep. Not wanting to share the room with her, Li Xiangshui left as soon as dawn broke.

A while later, Li Jiangying finally dragged herself out of bed sluggishly and pushed open the door, just in time to see Cui Yu.

Cui Yu stammered, “Jiangying?”

Li Jiangying greeted her with a smile. “Morning!”

Cui Yu’s mouth dropped open in shock. “Jiangying, did you… spend the night in someone else’s room last night?”

Li Jiangying was utterly brazen. “What’s it to you?”

Cui Yu said, “Uh, I didn’t mean… Heavens above. Highness, you’ve got a bit of green on your head!”

Li Jiangying walked toward her original room. As soon as she reached the door, her heart clenched. The shadow of a person pressing hands against the door was still cast upon it.

“Yingying.” A soft, tearful voice sounded from inside just as she approached. “Missed you so much.”

Li Yueying pressed herself hard against the door. The wooden frame groaned under the strain. Li Jiangying hurriedly removed the lock. Creak—thud! Li Yueying tumbled out, crashing into her.

The snake demon’s two claws cushioned the back and head of Li Jiangying. She clung to her tightly, protecting her fiercely. “Yingying, missed you so much!”

Li Jiangying reached out and patted her head. “You’re crushing me. Get up, quick.”

“No! Won’t let go of Yingying.” Like a puppy, Li Yueying buried her head in the crook of Li Jiangying’s neck, nuzzling and sniffing all over. Suddenly, she jerked her head up, her face a mask of shock and utter heartbreak. “Yingying! Why do you smell like… a vixen?!!!”

Li Jiangying yelled, “Vixen my ass! Her name is Li Xiangshui!”

Unhappy, Li Yueying slapped her tail on the floor. Glimmering tears welled in her eyes. Suddenly, she pouted and buried her head back into Li Jiangying’s neck, then flicked out her tongue and licked her.

In an instant, goosebumps erupted all over Li Jiangying’s body! Furious, she pushed hard against the little bastard. “Stop that right now!”

The snake demon continued licking, sobbing between flicks. “Yingying is mine. Vixen… not allowed!!!”

Li Jiangying nearly choked with rage. “Get off!”

In the end, she lay on the ground, face and neck covered in drool, staring at the sky with an expression of utter hopelessness. The snake demon was coiled around her, eyes closed in utter contentment.

Finally, she could rest. Having Jiangying by her side was wonderful.

On Gu Qinglin’s side, the treatment of Li Yueying still had to continue, as did Li Jiangying’s body-tempering attempts. The current worry was how to raise the money.

They had sold off all the valuable magical treasures they could, including the four Five-Element Essences. Finally, the day before the auction, they managed to scrape together enough money for a single Yin Wood Water Essence Pill.

Jiang Sujin had wanted to lend them some money, but Gu Qinglin grabbed the back of her young apprentice’s collar and tossed her into the herb garden. “If the Rain Butterfly Flowers don’t bloom, you’re not coming out!”

“The Tao Clan is determined to get the Yin Wood Water Essence Pill. I’m afraid the price will be driven extremely high,” Cui Yu said, very uneasy.

Li Jiangying patted her shoulder to console her. “Do your best and leave the rest to fate. Don’t stress too much.”

On the day of the auction, Li Yueying was undergoing treatment. Li Jiangying and Li Xiangshui accompanied Cui Yu to the venue. The auction house was a grand circular building with a somewhat futuristic design.

To enter, one needed an invitation, and they only had one. They had no choice but to send Cui Yu in with all their wealth to try her luck.

But Li Jiangying noticed two groups of people standing at the entrance. One group seemed to be hired by the auction house, while the other wore different uniforms, appearing exceptionally orderly and ostentatiously wealthy!

The clothes were embroidered with gold thread, reflecting blinding light under the sun—truly obscene wealth! This unapologetic nouveau riche style was somehow familiar.

Li Jiangying accompanied Cui Yu toward the entrance to have their invitation checked and whispered, “Who are those people?”

Cui Yu said quietly, “Judging by the emblem on their clothes, they should be from the Tao Clan of Flame City. They’re also our biggest competition for the Yin Wood Water Essence Pill!”

“What are they waiting at the entrance for?”

Li Jiangying soon got her answer. As soon as Cui Yu took out the invitation, the Tao Clan members surrounded them instantly.

“It’s you, you petty thief!” one of them said angrily. “How dare you steal our Young Master’s invitation! This is outrageous!” Their Young Master’s invitation had a special mark on it. They never expected the thief to brazenly use it in public.

Cui Yu and Li Jiangying were stunned.

Li Jiangying calmly raised her hands. “I can explain!”

“Hmph, what’s there to explain? You dare steal and must be prepared to pay the price!” Saying this, they swarmed forward and subdued Cui Yu and Li Jiangying.

The opponents were simply too many. Li Jiangying and Cui Yu barely put up a fight. Li Jiangying cursed inwardly—You devil cultivators are truly shameless, ganging up like this!

She turned her head to look at Li Xiangshui, who was standing far away, and used her eyes to signal her to go back and call for reinforcements. Li Xiangshui looked at her twice, nodded, pulled her hood tighter, and shrank into a corner to play invisible. “Understood. I absolutely won’t come out and give them another hostage!”

Li Jiangying was flabbergasted.

“Young Master!” A Tao Clan member suddenly called out, looking back.

The Tao Clan Young Master was dressed in even more luxurious attire, fanning himself with a folding fan as he strolled over unhurriedly. “Aiya, you can’t force an unwilling melon to be sweet. Why can’t this Fellow Daoist understand… Huh?”

The Young Master walked up to the two of them. As Li Jiangying met his eyes, both simultaneously voiced a sound of confusion.

The Tao Clan Young Master, Tao Buluo, fanned himself with a puzzled look. “Why do you seem somewhat familiar?”

Li Jiangying’s eyes welled up with emotion. “Young Master Tao, we met once in Chasing Moon City. You gave me a piece of Superior-grade Devil Stone to buy clothes for my snake demon companion. Do you remember?”

A look of sudden realization dawned on Tao Buluo’s face. “Now that you mention it, I do have some recollection.” He looked at Li Jiangying and smiled quite handsomely. “Who would have thought that the Fellow Daoist who couldn’t even afford clothes last time we met is now able to come to an auction.”