Chapter 26: Dual Souls Part 1

Her consciousness was pulled out of the illusion, yet she still couldn’t come back to her senses for a long time.

This could probably count as a good ending, but her heart still felt empty, as if some regret lingered within.

Yu Ruoyin was a good audience; she had fully immersed herself in someone else’s story. Even after the story ended, her emotions struggled to detach.

She thought for a long time before she couldn’t help but ask Jiang Huaining, “Auntie Ning, is there any possibility for a dissipated soul to reunite?”

“Ayin… don’t ask that.”

Jiang Huaining’s voice carried an unusual weakness, and her breathing wasn’t steady either. Yu Ruoyin heard two low gasps.

She hurriedly looked up at Jiang Huaining and only then noticed that Jiang Huaining’s face was pale. Fine beads of sweat covered her glossy skin, her red lips had lost their color, the red mole at the corner of her eye had faded to a faint pink, and the petal mark beneath it had completely vanished. Instinctively, Yu Ruoyin glanced at the tip of Jiang Huaining’s index finger—another place different from ordinary people—and sure enough, that touch of bright red had disappeared too.

Yu Ruoyin didn’t dare ignore it. She hugged Jiang Huaining. “Auntie Ning, are you okay?”

Jiang Huaining leaned into her arms and gently shook her head, signaling Yu Ruoyin not to ask yet.

She took Yu Ruoyin’s wrist and moved closer to Sang Xi’s corpse, stopping just within touching distance.

The bloodless tip of her index finger touched Sang Xi’s forehead. A wisp of golden light flickered as faint green mist was drawn out from Sang Xi’s forehead. The green mist seemed to have eyes of its own; the instant it left Sang Xi’s body, it flew toward Yu Ruoyin and landed on her forehead, drilling right in.

Yu Ruoyin only felt an intense burning at her forehead. She couldn’t help but reach up to touch it, yet she felt no heat at all.

The red jade fruit hanging around her neck suddenly lit up. A wisp of golden light overflowed from it and floated toward Jiang Huaining. Once the golden light entered Jiang Huaining’s body and vanished, color returned slightly to her index finger.

“Auntie Ning…”

Jiang Huaining’s gaze didn’t linger on her. She stared fixedly at her index finger, which was regaining color, biting her lip hard. Her dark pupils contracted slightly, and faint golden mist swirled in the depths of her eyes. “As expected…”

Jiang Huaining was too weak; her voice was like thin smoke that scattered with a mere breath of wind.

They were so close, yet Yu Ruoyin still couldn’t make out what Jiang Huaining said.

“Cough cough…” Jiang Huaining coughed lowly twice. An unnatural flush overtook her entire face. She gripped Yu Ruoyin’s wrist tightly and raised her voice a little. “Ayin, you trust me, right?”

“Mm!”

Jiang Huaining smiled reassuringly, lifted her hand to touch the red jade fruit hanging around Yu Ruoyin’s neck. “Help them. You have to help them. Definitely…”

Before she finished speaking, she collapsed headfirst into Yu Ruoyin’s arms and passed out completely.

“Auntie Ning!” Yu Ruoyin nervously extended her finger under Jiang Huaining’s nose. The faint warm breath wrapped around her fingertip, which made Yu Ruoyin breathe a sigh of relief. She held Jiang Huaining close. “She’s still alive. Still alive.”

Though Jiang Huaining had told her she wouldn’t die, life and death were unpredictable.

Yu Ruoyin still felt fear.

She had been unlucky for eighteen years and had finally encountered some good fortune. She couldn’t lose Jiang Huaining.

To say she loved Jiang Huaining deeply right now would be false. She simply couldn’t do without Jiang Huaining’s kindness toward her.

Enjoying someone’s tenderness didn’t require time to build a foundation.

Yu Ruoyin was the taker, the beneficiary.

Fortunately, she wasn’t ungrateful.

Yu Ruoyin still remembered that Jiang Huaining had said she needed to rest for a few days after helping Sang Xi.

She hoisted Jiang Huaining onto her back and carried her upstairs.

Perhaps exhaustion had lightened Jiang Huaining’s weight, or maybe Yu Ruoyin had grown stronger with Jiang Huaining’s spiritual energy. In any case, the Jiang Huaining on her back felt incredibly light.

Like a feather pressed against her back, as if a slight breath could send it floating away.

Yu Ruoyin couldn’t help but grip Jiang Huaining’s legs tightly. Only by pressing her palms firmly against her skin did she feel that Jiang Huaining wouldn’t vanish easily.

She carried Jiang Huaining back to the room. Just as she was about to put her on the bed, Lu Qingzhen’s ethereal voice drifted over. “Are you sure you don’t want to give Boss Jiang a bath?”

Yu Ruoyin then remembered that her own body was covered in Sang Xi’s blood, and Jiang Huaining had gotten quite a bit on her from getting close so many times.

But… she and Jiang Huaining…

“If you don’t want to, I can do it for you.”

Seeing Lu Qingzhen standing at the door, rubbing her hands eagerly, Yu Ruoyin quickly pulled Jiang Huaining protectively into her arms. “No need.”

It was that crisis sense of a precious palm pastry being eyed covetously. Yu Ruoyin didn’t like the feeling. She hurriedly carried Jiang Huaining into the bathroom in the bedroom. Lu Qingzhen called from outside the door, “Hey, I’m kidding. Why take it so seriously? If I dared touch Boss Jiang even once, she’d definitely kill me. Xiao Yu classmate, take good care of Boss Jiang, okay? I’m going to find that dead fish Xia Yu to help me clean up the corpse fragments downstairs…”

Yu Ruoyin couldn’t hear the rest.

Only after helping Jiang Huaining into the bathroom did Yu Ruoyin realize she didn’t know where to start. She had bathed herself before, but…

Her gaze uncontrollably roamed over Jiang Huaining’s body. The hand she extended jerked back. Yu Ruoyin truly lacked the courage to proceed recklessly. Though they were nominally lovers now, they hadn’t had any substantial intimacy yet.

It was too disrespectful. Just thinking about it made Yu Ruoyin’s cheeks slowly flush red.

The spreading blush held both shyness and timidity.

Yu Ruoyin hurriedly left the room, closed Jiang Huaining’s door, found clean sleepwear, and reentered the bathroom. She even dug out a piece of black cloth.

She helped Jiang Huaining under the shower and let her lean against her. Once she confirmed the towel and other tools were within reach, she used the black cloth to cover her eyes.

The hand she extended toward Jiang Huaining first landed on herself.

Only then did Yu Ruoyin remember that the bloodstains on her own body were much heavier than Jiang Huaining’s. If she didn’t wash up together, even if she cleaned Jiang Huaining, hugging her afterward would just dirty her again.

She unbuttoned one by one. She knew full well Jiang Huaining couldn’t see now, yet she still felt a pair of eyes roaming over her.

Her skin gradually grew scorching, and even her breathing became more erratic.

Yu Ruoyin finally stripped off her own clothes with great difficulty. When she reached to undress Jiang Huaining, she encountered even greater trouble.

Jiang Huaining couldn’t see now; undoing a single button took forever.

She had to fumble constantly to find the right spot, inevitably brushing against Jiang Huaining’s exposed skin in the process. With vision lost, every touch felt exceptionally sensitive. Each graze over Jiang Huaining’s skin left a trail of heat. After undressing her, Yu Ruoyin’s hands felt like they were on fire.

She hurriedly turned on the shower. The warm water poured over her skin but failed to soothe the heat—instead, it added fuel to the fire, making her more tense.

Yu Ruoyin took several deep breaths before mustering the courage to grab a towel and slowly extend it toward Jiang Huaining’s naked body. She thought not looking made her a gentleman, but it turned out to be even more intrusive. Unable to see where the blood was, she had to wipe every inch of skin. Not knowing where she’d wiped, she occasionally set the towel aside, letting her wrist’s skin contact Jiang Huaining’s body, feeling her contours.

Yu Ruoyin had chosen a thoroughly foolish method, clearly sensing Jiang Huaining’s delicacy.

It seemed otherworldly beings all had an enchanting quality.

Jiang Huaining’s skin was exceptionally soft and smooth. Touching one spot made her want to touch more, wishing she could press her entire hand against it.

She was a treasure, worth savoring carefully, feeling every exquisite carving.

Yu Ruoyin definitely didn’t dare do that, but she still inevitably felt the curves of Jiang Huaining’s body.

A slender waistline, full softness—every inch exuded superb allure.

Even without seeing, her soul was hooked away by more than half. Such a flirtatious, taut figure could easily bewilder anyone. She kept swallowing, her tongue tip heating up. She couldn’t help but open her mouth to gasp. Water droplets splashed onto her tongue, and the sudden water in her mouth made her choke.

“Cough cough.” Yu Ruoyin couldn’t hold back and coughed twice.

She wanted to reach up to soothe her throat, but another hand landed on her neck first. “Ayin.”

Yu Ruoyin jumped in fright. Before she could cry out, the black cloth covering her eyes was pulled away.

Jiang Huaining had woken up and was now gazing at her tenderly.

Fine water droplets clung to her soft, smooth face. Her ink-black long hair draped to her waist, with a few damp strands sticking to her face, adding a touch of allure.

Her naturally fair skin gained a rosy peach tint. Her lashes held crystalline droplets, fluttering like a thin veil of mist. Her beautiful eyes grew hazy behind the mist, even more captivating.

Yu Ruoyin stared in a daze, her gaze slowly drifting downward.

The moment it touched the softness, she yanked it back.

Yu Ruoyin stood frozen, at a loss. “You… Auntie Ning, when did you wake up?”

“When you were undressing me.”

?

So while she had painstakingly wiped Jiang Huaining’s body, Jiang Huaining had been awake—even quietly appreciating her.

“Ah!” Yu Ruoyin startled. The hand still lingering at Jiang Huaining’s waist jerked back. She hurriedly tried to cover her naked body. “You… how could you…”

Yu Ruoyin didn’t finish before, the instant she let go, Jiang Huaining’s body fell toward her arms.

Yu Ruoyin had no choice but to hurriedly catch her. Softness collided against her chest. The unfamiliar touch made her hypersensitive at once. The softness even perked up. She bit her lip to suppress the strange sound nearly escaping her throat. Jiang Huaining remained oblivious. She pressed tightly against Yu Ruoyin, her lips nearly brushing her earlobe. “Ayin, I have no strength left.”

She was truly utterly exhausted.

She had only woken because her body sensed danger.

Jiang Huaining didn’t even have the strength to stand. Yu Ruoyin couldn’t worry about keeping distance anymore. She cleaned both herself and Jiang Huaining at top speed, then carried Jiang Huaining to a chair in the bedroom.

Jiang Huaining leaned against her, drowsy.

Yu Ruoyin supported her head. “Don’t sleep yet. I’ll dry your hair first.”

Jiang Huaining grabbed her hand. With the other, she pointed to the bookshelf in the bedroom, lined with books Yu Ruoyin had been curious about.

Her voice was very soft. “Up there… cough cough… there’s the Painting Witch…”

Before Jiang Huaining finished, she passed out again.

Afraid she’d catch a chill, Yu Ruoyin hurriedly blow-dried her hair and tucked her into bed.

After successfully tucking Jiang Huaining under the covers, Yu Ruoyin didn’t even care about her own hair. She rushed to the bookshelf to find what Jiang Huaining mentioned.

Pinghu Mountain Secret Art

Talisman Guide

…

Painting Witch Secret Manual

Yu Ruoyin felt this book title didn’t seem like one teaching how to become a Painting Witch. But aside from it, nothing else related to Painting Witch was there. She took it down, flipped through a couple pages hastily, and sat by Jiang Huaining’s bed. She gazed at Jiang Huaining’s peaceful sleeping face in silence for a long time.