Chapter 37: Short Are These Bitter Days
“Those who reverse life and death are not tolerated by the Heavenly Dao…”
When Yin Buran’s voice fell, Ning Ruoque couldn’t help but shiver.
Since she had already been discovered, she might as well admit it directly, “This injury… I didn’t mean it.”
Her tone was still timid, and she didn’t dare to step forward.
It was inevitable to get injured in a fight, not to mention that a sword cultivator’s life was already hanging on the tip of a sword.
Ning Ruoque didn’t care about these injuries, but if Yin Buran would bristle because of them, she would try her best to avoid them.
It was just that to really have no injuries at all, unless the difference in strength was too great.
Seeing Yin Buran walk towards her, Ning Ruoque was already prepared to be scolded and scratched.
Because her body had not yet recovered, Yin Buran could not walk fast. Wrapped in a fluffy cloak, she looked as if she were carrying a heavy weight.
One step at a time, the fine snow made a light crunching sound.
Ning Ruoque squinted and watched, and her heart, which had been trembling in her chest, suddenly clenched.
She ran two steps, taking the initiative to shorten the distance with Yin Buran, and extended her hand for her to see.
“It’s really just a minor injury. Where’s Qingtong? Let her treat me.”
Yin Buran’s smile disappeared. She stared at her with a blank expression, her eyes even a little cold.
She suddenly moved, and Ning Ruoque completely gave up resisting, planning to let her scratch her.
But the expected scene did not happen. Yin Buran came up with a cold face and hugged her without any warning.
Her head was buried in her chest, and her entire weight was pressed against Ning Ruoque.
Ning Ruoque’s body reacted faster than her brain. She took a step back to steady herself and hugged her back, her arms loosely wrapped around Yin Buran’s waist.
She blinked, feeling as if she were hugging a warm, fluffy little animal, and it was so itchy where it rubbed against her.
She heard the person in her arms say, “Next time, you’re not allowed to leave without a word…”
Yin Buran’s voice was actually on the cooler side, like crushed ice and thin snow.
But speaking in such a muffled voice, it became a little softer, and there was a clear sadness.
The originally unreasonable command was said by her as if it were a cautious request.
Ning Ruoque was dazed, completely forgetting about the amnesia and the marriage.
All she knew was that Yin Buran had probably been walking for a long time before she found her.
So she instinctively hugged the person a little tighter and said softly, “Alright. It won’t happen again next time.”
She held the person in her arms, and a sense of satisfaction seemed to appear out of thin air, flowing through her limbs with her blood, filling a certain place to the brim.
A certain sword cultivator’s heart quietly softened, becoming as soft as Yin Buran’s cloak.
The north wind in the night was biting cold, relentlessly crossing the land and rushing towards the vast snowy plains.
Only when the silence of the night was broken by the sound of rapid breathing did Ning Ruoque wake up as if from a dream and let go.
It was unknown if it was because she didn’t dare or didn’t want to, but she didn’t push Yin Buran away, letting the other person lean on her for warmth at a loss.
Pengpeng’s childish voice became clearer and clearer, “Ah Man, where are you, Ah Man?”
Before long, a small ball of light appeared at the end of the road.
It was unknown how long Pengpeng had been chasing. One of her buns had come loose, and her small face was covered in fine sweat, filled with anxiety.
The lantern in her hand swayed in the wind, as if it would be extinguished in the next second.
After finally catching a glimpse of a white figure, Pengpeng boldly walked up and shone the lantern in her hand on Yin Buran.
She was stunned for a moment and called out in a daze, “Sister?”
Ning Ruoque frowned, not thinking that she was calling her.
Yin Buran also heard it. She wiped her face on Ning Ruoque’s lapel. When she turned back, she was once again the clear and otherworldly, unattainable Divine Pivot Lord.
The child shrugged and took several steps back. “No, you’re not my sister.”
She glanced at Ning Ruoque, her peripheral vision sweeping over to Yin Buran, and then her small face instantly turned pale, and she ran away without looking back.
Ning Ruoque wanted to chase after her. Xiaochi Village was not normal, and a child was in great danger here.
But thinking of the scene from before, it was clear that Pengpeng was not quite normal either.
How could a child stay with a group of unidentified fools?
She was more worried about Yin Buran and did not chase after her.
Yin Buran tugged on Ning Ruoque’s sleeve and tilted her head to ask, “Am I that scary?”
Ning Ruoque said without thinking, “Not at all.”
“Then why is she afraid of me?”
Yin Buran continued to press, her eyelashes wet. Even in such a dark night, Ning Ruoque could see it clearly.
She paused and squeezed out a sentence, “…She’s shy.”
“…”
The corners of Yin Buran’s mouth turned up slightly. It was clear that this muddle-headed sentence had made her want to tease a few more words.
A certain sword cultivator’s ears were bright red, and she quickly changed the subject, “Where are the others?”
Speak of Chu Xuan, and Chu Xuan arrived.
This person made no attempt to hide her movements, her red clothes like a prairie fire. She strode over from the other side of the village, her stone steps clattering.
Behind her were Qingtong and Qieyu, who had to trot to keep up with her, and even the old woman.
Chu Xuan came up and patted Ning Ruoque’s shoulder. “This village is really hard to find. The outskirts are full of miasma and thick fog. I almost lost you!”
Then she said to Yin Buran, “I took a look inside and didn’t find any trace of the Shirou. There’s only one house with its lights on. It’s really strange.”
Ning Ruoque knew in her heart that Chu Xuan was talking about Pengpeng.
She recounted her previous encounter at an extremely fast speed and asked Qingtong to take a look at her injury.
She thought she was already numb to the pain and didn’t feel anything.
But when she extended her hand, she found that the originally bloody wound had already recovered, not even leaving a scar.
Only the torn sleeve could prove that it had indeed existed.
It was needless to say who had done this.
Ning Ruoque stole a glance at Yin Buran. The latter had shrunk into her cloak and was yawning, her neck not even visible.
Still that indifferent look, but she felt… a little cute.
Did the old Yin Buran have such a side too?
Ning Ruoque was lost in thought for a moment, trying hard to recall, but she couldn’t remember much, and it was all as if there was a transparent wall in between, not very clear.
She secretly noted this discomfort and pulled her thoughts back to the right track.
After listening to Ning Ruoque’s description, Chu Xuan tossed the night-luminescent pearl in her hand. “Oh my! I always thought the Shirou would mutate after eating too many people. So it’s a Shirou that was transformed from a ‘person’.”
She curled her lips and let out a slightly sarcastic laugh. “Whether it’s a demon-human or a human-demon, I will definitely kill this Shirou.”
Then Chu Xuan changed her tune, shone the night-luminescent pearl on her face, and said faintly.
“Earlier, Yin Buran asked me to find someone to go to the county and get the records of Xiaochi Village from that year and send them to me.”
“I found that there was no child named Pengpeng in Xiaochi Village, only a seventeen-year-old girl named He Peng.”
“The records say that she died in a demonic calamity three years ago.”
After Chu Xuan finished speaking, she suddenly turned her head and leaned close to Qingtong.
The latter was caught off guard and met a pale face, so frightened that she burrowed into Qieyu’s arms and almost screamed.
Yin Buran’s expression was cold, but she turned around and kicked Chu Xuan’s calf.
The latter, of course, did not move an inch, so Yin Buran lowered her eyes and bit her lip, then looked at Ning Ruoque without blinking, a stream of light seeming to flash in her eyes.
Ning Ruoque: “…”
She admitted that her self-control had been very poor recently.
Her brain was still thinking, but her body had already acted on its own. Her foot went straight for Chu Xuan’s butt, kicking her into a stumble.
Only then did she belatedly realize that she had helped Yin Buran “teach” Chu Xuan a lesson.
What is this? What would Yin Buran think?
Fortunately, Ning Ruoque quickly came to a conclusion on her own. Chu Xuan deserved to be beaten!
She was so reliable, it was normal for Yin Buran to ask her for help.
Ning Ruoque directly ignored a certain curly-haired person’s rambling accusations, did not look at Yin Buran, and strode forward to lead the way.
An immortal demon body, a fragmented human soul. She could probably guess the mastermind’s purpose.
But after seeing the fate of that old woman, she couldn’t help but wonder, Will this really succeed?
When they returned to Pengpeng’s small courtyard, the main gate was tightly locked, and there was no movement at all.
Chu Xuan knocked on the door. When no one answered, she gave Ning Ruoque a look.
Ning Ruoque hesitated for a while. She felt that she was tricking a child and had a sense of guilt for going against her heart.
She steeled herself and said, “Pengpeng, it’s me.”
Although they could have just climbed over the wall, everyone unanimously chose to wait.
After a while, the courtyard gate opened a small crack, revealing a pair of dark, round eyes, like a vigilant little deer.
Before Ning Ruoque could stop her, Chu Xuan quickly stuck her hand in the crack of the door and grinned.
The night was dark and the wind was high, and the cold wind howled. A woman in red suddenly appeared outside the door, and her smile was very “eerie.”
Pengpeng covered her mouth. “Ah!”
She wanted to close the door, but the door was stuck by Chu Xuan and did not move.
Without giving her any time, the child’s mouth turned down, and tears began to pour out.
“Waaah—” The sound of crying was deafening, and in the desolate small village, it was even more mournful.
Chu Xuan: “…”
No, she hadn’t even said anything. How did she make her cry?
Yin Buran said coolly, “Isn’t Sect Master Chu very good at taking care of children? Go and coax her.”
Ning Ruoque once again thought that her kick was really right.
No matter what Pengpeng’s true identity was, right now she was just an ordinary seven-year-old child who couldn’t stop crying.
Chu Xuan admitted that she was in the wrong, squatted down, and took things out of her storage bracelet. “Don’t cry. How about you play with a small pinwheel? A rattle-drum? A spiritual energy cannon?”
Seeing that a certain person was getting more and more outrageous, Qingtong couldn’t stand it anymore and also went up to stroke the child’s head, coaxing her in a soft voice.
“Don’t cry, don’t cry. How about I treat you to some candy?”
The two of them coaxed and praised, and finally managed to stop Pengpeng’s crying. She dejectedly let them into the courtyard.
Chu Xuan was still promising with great certainty, “We’re here to catch monsters. We will definitely not harm such a cute little girl.”
Pengpeng timidly hid to the side, wiped the tear stains from her face, and then tried to ask Ning Ruoque with a straight face.
“Ah Man, did they bully you?”
Being cared for by a child, Ning Ruoque didn’t know whether to laugh or cry and shook her head.
Pengpeng lowered her head and rubbed her hands from the cold. “About what happened before, I… I’m sorry. Grandma didn’t mean it.”
The weather was getting colder and colder. She stood on her tiptoes and opened the door, letting everyone into the house to drink some hot water.
Even though she herself was still very scared, her shoulders were hunched, a small figure.
The house was also just an ordinary farmhouse, with old tables and chairs, and one could see everything at a glance. Fortunately, the kang was heated, and it was much warmer than outside.
Chu Xuan whistled, and the charcoal fire immediately burned more vigorously.
She first tried to smile a few times, trying to make herself look as amiable as possible, and then asked, “Pengpeng, what’s your adult’s name?”
Pengpeng held her arms, still far away from Chu Xuan, and answered in a very small voice, “My sister’s surname is He.”
There was a moment of silence, and then Chu Xuan continued to tease the child as if nothing had happened.
Qingtong and Qieyu looked at each other, and both saw the surprise in the other’s eyes.
The seventeen-year-old He Peng and the seven-year-old He Pengpeng, it didn’t seem like they were unrelated.
Ning Ruoque hesitated for a moment and asked in a voice that only the two of them could hear, “Yin Buran, does the art of resurrection really exist in the world?”
Although she herself had been reborn, her rebirth was inexplicable, and there were still many questions that had not been resolved.
Yin Buran yawned again.
In a warm environment, she really wanted to sleep. Her eyes were half-closed, and she looked weak.
“Azurefall Creek does have relevant records, but most of them have been lost and cannot be practiced.”
Ignoring the shock in Ning Ruoque’s eyes, Yin Buran spoke lightly, as if this were just a trivial matter.
“Besides, the heavens have their own course…”
She said, “Those who reverse life and death are not tolerated by the Heavenly Dao.”
