Chapter 98: Partial Memory, When I Came
It’s just that she finds her very cute.
After a few consecutive cloudy days, Azurefall Creek finally welcomed a rare good weather.
Unfortunately, when Ning Ruoque woke up, the afterglow of the setting sun was slowly crawling out of the window and sinking into the mountains and fields.
She stared blankly at the tasseled gauze canopy above her head and smelled a clearer fragrance than before.
The pillow and quilt were also unbelievably silky and soft, and one could directly sink into them.
This was Yin Buran’s bed.
She was actually sleeping in Yin Buran’s bed!
After realizing this, Ning Ruoque did a carp flip and sat up directly.
“You’re awake? Is there anything else you’re not comfortable with?”
A sudden voice sounded. Ning Ruoque followed the sound and saw Yin Buran.
She was leaning against the window, holding a scroll in her hand and a small medicine stove in front of her. Her silhouette was a little blurry in the setting sun.
Like a quiet, resting white butterfly, if there was any more movement, she would be startled away.
So Ning Ruoque’s voice was also small. “There’s nothing wrong. How long was I unconscious?”
Yin Buran’s tone was calm. “Not long, three days.”
Ning Ruoque sucked in a sharp breath.
Three days is not long?!
The fact that she could wake up safe and sound now was definitely all thanks to Yin Buran.
She didn’t even dare to think about how Yin Buran had taken care of her. What if she had encountered trouble?
She quickly said, “Sorry for troubling you again.”
Who would have thought that the other would let out a soft laugh. “Heh, you’re too polite.”
“…”
Realizing that she had accidentally said the wrong thing, Ning Ruoque was very flustered.
When she was flustered, she wanted to reach for her sword. Her hand went to her back waist, and naturally, she found nothing.
So she dryly changed the subject. “That beast tide—”
Yin Buran lowered her eyes. “The beast tide has already retreated. The losses are not great. You don’t have to worry.”
Ning Ruoque: “Oh, then my sword…”
“Don’t think about it. You won’t be able to get it in a short time anyway.”
Yin Buran was not fooling her. Even if Chu Xuan was exceptionally talented, it would still take a few days to repair the Dao is Hidden and Nameless.
After hearing this, Ning Ruoque silently lifted the quilt, trying to move herself off the bed.
Who would have thought that Yin Buran would directly put the book on the table and frown. “You just stay here and recuperate. The outside world is not short of one sword cultivator.”
Ning Ruoque pressed her lips together, a little unsure of how to refute.
After sulking in place for a long while, she finally asked in a low voice, “Then what about you? Are you tired?”
She was worried that Yin Buran, in order to save her, had instead dragged her own body down.
She would feel very guilty.
The steam in the decoction pot rose, and it knocked on the lid with a gurgling sound.
So Yin Buran picked up the medicine pot and poured the medicinal soup into a cup. The slightly bitter taste of the medicine instantly lingered in her breath, difficult to escape.
She said faintly, “Tired.”
Hearing her say this, Ning Ruoque felt that she was indeed much more haggard.
Just as she was about to show some concern, she heard her change her tune. “But seeing you lying on the bed, unconscious, I would be even more uncomfortable.”
Ning Ruoque was stunned for a few breaths. Her heart was like being soaked in sour water, and it had softened into a ball.
Yin Buran’s personality was actually reserved and reserved, but after their reunion, she had expressed her feelings twice and three times.
It was she who was too stupid and did not know how to respond to this affection, which had hurt Yin Buran.
She wanted to say sorry, and she also wanted to say thank you.
In the end, she felt that neither was appropriate, and she foolishly sat down in front of Yin Buran.
Yin Buran pushed the bowl of medicinal soup in front of Ning Ruoque. “Don’t be in a daze. Come and drink the medicine.”
The latter, without a word, picked up the bowl and drank it all in two gulps, not even blinking.
Then she urged, “If you’re tired, go and rest for a while. I’m much better.”
Yin Buran looked at the sky and shook her head.
She slowly smoothed her sleeves, her peripheral vision falling on Ning Ruoque, and then slowly moved back.
Slow and deliberate, as if she were pondering and weighing some very important matter.
Unsure of the other’s thoughts, Ning Ruoque couldn’t help but be nervous.
But at this time, Yin Buran stood up.
“Forget it. I’ll go and soak in the hot spring for a while.” Without waiting for Ning Ruoque to react, she flicked her sleeve and left.
Ning Ruoque felt it was incredible.
This time, she didn’t even let her accompany her! It felt strange, very not right!
A certain sword cultivator suddenly felt restless.
She was in no mood to cultivate, but to follow her would make her seem very frivolous.
What if Yin Buran just wanted to be alone for a while?
She was very worried, so she had no choice but to try to divert her attention and find something to do on her own.
She tidied Yin Buran’s bed, cleaned the medicine pot and bowl, wiped the table, and even watered the moon roses under the eaves.
Although it was less than half an hour, Ning Ruoque felt that the days were like years.
Therefore, when that familiar sound of footsteps came, she immediately went up to meet her.
Then her steps paused slightly, and she stood there in a daze.
The person before her was dressed in a thin silk garment, her white hair half-tied up with a flowing cloud hairpin.
For some reason, the ends of her hair and her eyelashes were wet, and the embroidery on her clothes was like sparkling water.
Only the color of her cheeks was like a faint red on a plum blossom petal, making one want to take a few more glances.
In a daze, Yin Buran moved with lotus steps and sat down on the couch with a dignified posture.
She seemed to hesitate for a breath, then slowly spoke, “Come and play a game of chess with me.”
Although it was a very normal request, Ning Ruoque did not dare to move.
She saw Yin Buran lift the messy hair by her ear and fiddle with the incense burner on the table.
The candlelight flickered, softening her face, making her seem very approachable.
So strange. On the one hand, Ning Ruoque’s heart was racing, and on the other, she was full of doubts.
This scene seemed familiar. One day a hundred years ago, Yin Buran had also used chess as an excuse to invite her to stay the night.
Ning Ruoque’s eyelashes were lowered, and while her thoughts were racing, Yin Buran had already taken out a game of backgammon.
This kind of chess required one to rely on rolling dice to decide the movement of the pieces. Luck played a large part, but strategy was also not to be ignored.
It was indeed suitable for passing the time.
Ning Ruoque did not say a word and sat down in front of Yin Buran dryly.
She went to get her own pieces, and Yin Buran just happened to reach out her hand. Her cool fingertips touched the back of Ning Ruoque’s hand, and it was slightly itchy.
Ning Ruoque couldn’t help but let out a soft hiss.
Such a deliberate action. What on earth does Yin Buran want…
She was apprehensive, and her mind was not on the chess. But her luck was really good, and the dice had never been a low number.
Yin Buran was also absent-minded and frequently looked at Ning Ruoque.
The lamp flower made a sound, and the night wind knocked on the window. By the time she finally came back to her senses, the last piece had already left the chessboard.
Ning Ruoque had won a great victory.
The sword cultivator also did not expect this kind of ending. After all, Yin Buran was very good at chess.
She held the chess piece and racked her brains to think of a topic to ease the atmosphere.
She found that Yin Buran had frowned and said without any room for discussion, “Best of three. Two more games.”
She rolled up her sleeves and placed a piece. With a crisp “crack,” her whole person went from the gentle but cold snow just now to a lively lotus by the water.
It was just that Ning Ruoque did not dare to relax.
She placed her pieces cautiously. With the experience she had accumulated during this time, she desperately tried to let Yin Buran win.
However, the harder she tried, the more unfortunate she was. It was as if she had received Si Mingyue’s super blessing, and she could roll a good number every time.
When she tried to “cheat” with her spiritual energy, she was held down by Yin Buran, who clearly did not want her to go too easy.
From best of three to best of five.
Ning Ruoque was sweating, and she was determined to let Yin Buran win.
From best of seven to another ten games.
Yin Buran was always short of that one game to win.
She even tied up her cumbersome large sleeves, like a cat that was determined to get a small fish, and her tail was wagging with great force.
Until the sky turned fish-belly white, the two of them had tied for the nth time.
Victory and defeat were in this game.
Ning Ruoque’s peripheral vision swept over the window. The distant mountains were like a painting, and the thin mist was like a veil.
A whole night had passed in a daze just like that.
She struggled for a moment, and still tried to remind her, “Ranran—”
“Don’t talk,” Yin Buran interrupted with a frown.
She was busy thinking of a solution, and Ning Ruoque’s voice went in one ear and out the other, not taking it to heart at all.
The exquisite dice rolled on the table, and under the nervous gaze of the two pairs of eyes, it finally settled on “six.”
Yin Buran raised her chin reservedly, and her hands moved the chess pieces quickly.
She won!
The warm sunlight shone in at the right time. She unconsciously sat up straight, her back as straight as a board, as if she were ready to be praised.
Ning Ruoque immediately followed with applause. “Good! Ranran is so amazing!”
The sky was also bright.
Yin Buran was stunned for a moment.
She turned her head to look at the daylight outside, then lowered her head to look at her chessboard. Her eyes widened, and an unusually vivid look of disbelief appeared on her face.
Yin Buran wrinkled her own skirt.
Heaven knows, she had originally just wanted to play chess to relax for a while, and then she would ask Ning Ruoque to dual cultivate with her.
She had put a lot of thought into her dress and makeup, and had practiced what she wanted to say several times, but in the end, it was all for naught on the chessboard.
She lowered her head and took a sip of tea in a fit of anger. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She glared at Ning Ruoque and complained without any reservation.
Who would have thought that the person before her would shrug, and the corners of her mouth would turn up. “Pfft—”
Ning Ruoque still couldn’t hold it in and laughed out loud.
She barely managed to cover her face, laughing until she couldn’t stop. “Hahaha, sorry… I didn’t mean it. I just…”
It’s just that she finds her very cute.
She was very cute when she was secretly planning, and she was very cute when she was determined to win.
Even when she finally got angry at her, it made Ning Ruoque want to laugh and kiss her on the cheek.
Even looking back at her previous nervousness and speculation, she also felt that she was stupid and wooden, and really shouldn’t have been.
Ning Ruoque thought so, and so she did.
She stood up and smiled, kissing Yin Buran on the cheek, her heart so soft that it was a mess.
Yin Buran dodged backwards and muttered in a small voice, “You’re still smiling so foolishly after losing.”
Without any extra thought, Ning Ruoque blurted out, “Because seeing Ranran safe and sound, doing what she wants to do, I will be satisfied.”
Yin Buran lowered her eyes and listened.
“…”
Ning Ruoque quietly observed her reaction and also quieted down.
She pinched Yin Buran’s hand and coaxed her in a gentle voice, “Why don’t you go and rest for a while? I’m really fine now. You don’t have to watch over me.”
She even half-jokingly said, “I’ve been very lucky recently. Maybe I’m blessed by a goddess.”
Yin Buran lifted her skirt and got off the couch without a word, and instead sat on Ning Ruoque’s lap, face to face with her.
So close that there was not a single gap.
Ignoring Ning Ruoque’s suddenly completely red ears, Yin Buran said faintly, “If that were true, you wouldn’t have had your spiritual soul collapse after you came out of the goddess’s temple.”
After a short pause, she held Ning Ruoque’s shoulders. “Listen carefully. If you want to live now, you have to dual cultivate with me.”
“It’s not that I’m deliberately making things difficult for you. It’s just that I need to repair your spiritual soul. If we can achieve a fusion of our auras and a common source of spiritual energy, it will be good for both of us.”
Perhaps because she had held her breath to finish, Yin Buran was not shy at all now and could even express her wishes with perfect justification.
“Also, I want to see your memories.”
For some reason, Ning Ruoque’s gaze shifted, and her thoughts seemed to have already flown out of the nine heavens.
Yin Buran pinched the other’s face and then grabbed her collar and pressed, “You’re not willing?”
Without waiting for Ning Ruoque to speak, she raised her head and announced, “You have to be willing even if you’re not.”
Ning Ruoque wanted to shrink back, but she was held by Yin Buran and could not avoid it.
But even with such an “unreasonable” Yin Buran, she also felt that Yin Buran was so cute.
After holding it in for a long while, the sword cultivator carefully tried to negotiate.
“Can you… let me read the book again?”
Yin Buran did not speak and squinted her eyes.
The next second, her jade hairpin slipped, and her white hair fell. She went straight for Ning Ruoque’s lips.
