Chapter 102: A New Tail Has Grown!!!

After parting ways with Luo Wuyan, Shen Youran returned to her own residence, Xiwu Courtyard.

Lying on her bed, Shen Youran sifted through the memories of her past twenty years, yet she couldn’t find a single trace of that person’s presence.

However, the sense of familiarity coming from the depths of her soul could not be faked. She felt, instinctively, that she and this person ought to know each other. Perhaps it was even more than just an acquaintance…

As her thoughts grew restless, the symptoms of her unstable soul began to flare up once more. Shen Youran instinctively reached out and gripped the string of prayer beads that Luo Wuyan had pressed into her hand during their first meeting.

The once-staggering amount of Kingly Aura within them had dwindled to a mere fraction.

Shen Youran closed her eyes and composed her mind, absorbing the Kingly Aura from the beads bit by bit. Between her breaths, threads of light rushed into her body like they were answering a summons, each vying to be the first to enter.

By dawn, the final spark of light flooded into her and vanished.

Shen Youran opened her eyes and looked down at the prayer beads resting on her lap. The blood-red beads looked as if they had been bleached, turning a stark white. A tiny speck of crimson remained amidst the white; it was small, yet exceptionally striking.

It was exactly the same color as the tail she had mysteriously lost.

Recalling how she had woken up that day, helplessly clutching her severed tail, Shen Youran’s hand subconsciously brushed over the beads. In the next moment, the string shattered like fragile glass, crumbling and disappearing before her eyes.

Shen Youran instinctively reached out to catch them, but her hand grasped nothing but air.

Her beautiful brows knit together as she wondered how she would explain the disappearance of the beads to that person. Suddenly, a wave of heat surged through her tailbone. When that familiar sensation returned, Shen Youran’s eyes widened in disbelief.

She looked down and gently shook her large, fluffy tails.

One, two, three… four!

The newly grown tail was identical to the other three, but because it was a regrown limb, the tailbone was exceptionally sensitive. It was so sensitive that even a slight twitch sent a spine-tingling numbness straight to her marrow.

Shen Youran instinctively reached out and hugged her newly sprouted, fragile tail. The scar where it had been severed was now incredibly faint, leaving behind only a thin white line.

The white line began at the base of the tail. As Shen Youran traced the line toward the tip, a extremely thin yet deep red line suddenly caught her eye. It looked exactly like that last speck of red from the prayer beads—striking and vivid.

Shaking her slightly dizzy head, Shen Youran collapsed weakly onto the bed. Regrowing a lost tail required a massive amount of demonic power to facilitate the healing. Now that all her power had gone into mending the tail, she didn’t have a shred of strength left in her body.

However, she wasn’t afraid. She knew this was a normal reaction; once the tail fully recovered, she would be fine.

It was just that the timing of this regrowth was rather inconvenient…

Prince An had just returned yesterday, and she wasn’t sure if he would come to the courtyard to find her today. To be safe, Shen Youran pulled a branch from a silk tree from her robe.

As the branch hit the ground, it shifted and changed form. If Luo Wuyan were here, she would certainly find the figure familiar. It was Huazhi, the maid Shen Youran had relied on most in her past life.

Before reverting to her original form, Shen Youran used the last dregs of her demonic power to transform Huazhi into her own likeness.

Dressed in a plain green skirt and devoid of any makeup, the figure stood there gracefully, exuding an innate, enchanting charm. However, compared to the real Shen Youran, there was still a slight gap—especially the light in her eyes, which appeared somewhat dull.

Still, those who weren’t intimately familiar with her likely wouldn’t notice. It was enough to handle Prince An.

With that thought, Shen Youran closed her eyes in relief. The curvaceous woman on the bed rapidly transformed into a petite, snow-white little fox.

The little fox’s eyes were tightly shut, and her silver ears drooped listlessly. Her four tails and four little paws were splayed out weakly on the bed.

Huazhi, wearing Shen Youran’s face, stood silently for a long time. As a sudden crack of thunder echoed outside, she even had the presence of mind to close the windows.

***

On the other side of the Prince’s Manor, the lights had remained burning all night.

Luo Wuyan, who had galloped all the way back from the Imperial Palace, had thought that her longing would be eased once she saw her. She hadn’t expected that while she missed her before they met, seeing Sister Youran only made her heart ache with even more restlessness. Her heart was like a calm lake that someone had thrown a handful of stones into; it simply wouldn’t settle.

After more than a month of traveling and hard work, she should have been exhausted, but she couldn’t fall asleep no matter how she tossed and turned.

When she was away, she would stare at the moon at night and miss the person in her heart. Now that she was back, the bright moon in the sky looked utterly annoying. She wanted the moon to hurry up and set; once the sun rose, she would have an excuse to go see Sister Youran.

She waited and waited until she was finally starting to feel drowsy, just as a sliver of light appeared on the horizon.

Wonderful! I can finally go find Sister Youran!

Luo Wuyan leaped from the bed, rubbed her tired eyes, and went to the wardrobe to pick out her clothes. She had been in such a rush to see Sister Youran yesterday that she hadn’t even changed out of her travel-worn clothes. She wondered if her sister would think she was a slob.

Today, she had to dress up properly to let Sister Youran know she was still quite handsome.

With a smile playing on her lips, Luo Wuyan’s hand brushed over the neatly arranged robes in the wardrobe, inspecting them one by one…

The moon-white, straight-collared robe was long and slim with a great drape, but the color was a bit too pale; it wouldn’t “dazzle” Sister Youran at first sight.

The purple, round-collared robe had a nice style, and the bamboo and pine pattern was decent, but she felt it looked a bit too mature and didn’t quite suit her current self.

The crimson and black embroidered silk robe was a bit dark; she felt it might make her look too sharp or unapproachable. No, that wouldn’t do!

The blue “Cloud-Soaring Bat” patterned martial attire looked neat and sharp, which was good, but she felt it was still missing something.

Then there was the cyan embroidered robe with orchids on the cuffs and an elegant bamboo leaf hollow-out pattern on the hem. This one seemed quite nice.

Luo Wuyan scanned the accessories and selected a gold-trimmed jade belt, pairing it with a jewel-encrusted purple-gold crown.

Checking herself in the mirror, she saw a truly dashing young gentleman.

Luo Wuyan nodded in satisfaction. Like a peacock spreading its feathers in full bloom, she stepped out and headed straight for Xiwu Courtyard.

Knowing that no one was there except Sister Youran and her transformed maid, Huazhi, Luo Wuyan began calling out softly as soon as she entered the courtyard.

“Sister Youran! Sister Youran…”