Chapter 125: Fireside Night Talk (Seven): Did Master Get Drunk? Part 1

She called out so suddenly that none of them knew her intention and all froze for a moment.

Qin He lifted her gaze to look at her, her eyes brimming with tears, her vision blurry. In her daze, she saw the woman make a hand gesture signaling her to follow. She knew exactly who that slender, upright figure was, yet she still saw a shadow of her sister in her.

Deep down, she did not want to listen to this woman, but for some reason, her heart—which had been wandering lost like a fawn in the woods—suddenly found direction. As if possessed by a ghost, she stood up and followed at the woman’s side.

Fu Li’s gaze shifted back and forth between the two.

She had heard some of the rumors outside and knew there was something complicated between them—anything could happen. But both Qin He and Mu Qian Tan were still decent people who would not erupt into conflict or lay hands on each other here. If they were going somewhere else, it was probably just to have a private talk.

With that in mind, she did not move or interject. Shang Shan wanted to follow too, but Mu Qian Tan pressed down on her head and held her in place. “You stay put and behave.”

With that hand still on her head, Shang Shan said worriedly, “Don’t fight, you two.”

Many unpleasant memories from the past bubbled up, and she truly feared experiencing that awkward feeling again.

Seeing her fidgeting, Mu Qian Tan pressed harder, pushing her down as if trying to stuff her into the ground. “Shut up and sit still.”

Even as she stubbornly resisted with her neck craned, Shang Shan eventually gave in out of worry about angering her and stayed put obediently.

After firmly holding her in place, Mu Qian Tan glanced toward the end of the corridor. It was far from the furnace with almost no lighting, and distant enough from here to talk without being overheard. She led the little girl over.

No one had come this way for a long time, so a layer of frost had formed on the railing at the end. The golden architecture was also rendered icy and pale by the moonlight. Snowflakes swirled beyond the railings on both sides, forming a vast white world.

She exhaled a puff of white mist, her breath carrying the chill. Mu Qian Tan did not linger too long. Having thought about what to say, she turned back to examine the girl’s tear-streaked face and chuckled lightly. “Careful, or your face might freeze like that.”

It was a joke she was not accustomed to making, and saying it had involved some internal struggle. But Qin He did not laugh. She kept her head down, tears flowing, her hands clutching the silver bell like it was her last lifeline.

Mu Qian Tan pursed her lips slightly and did not mind the lack of response. She placed her palm over the back of the girl’s hand, gripped her fingers with her other hand, and pried them open one by one like peeling an onion. As she did, she asked, “Did you and your sister depend on each other for survival?”

The tears fell even harder. Qin He nodded with a sob. She tried to pull her hand back, but the woman noticed and gripped tighter.

Perhaps her heart ached too much, leaving her without the strength or will to resist. She let Mu Qian Tan do as she pleased. Soon, all her fingers were pried open, revealing the delicate little silver bell in her palm.

“You might not believe it, but I actually understand that feeling.” Mu Qian Tan picked up the little silver bell, found the corresponding hole in the girl’s ear, aligned it, and carefully threaded it through.

“I… I once had a little sister too. We depended on each other, just the two of us. Life was pretty awful, but tolerable—peaceful and quiet. I thought we’d live like that forever. But one day, I suddenly vanished from her world.”

She had never said these things to anyone before. It felt like peeling back her own skin—somewhat unfamiliar and uncomfortable. After that sentence, she did not know how to continue. It was not good to stop halfway, so she stared at the silver bell in her hand, speaking as if narrating or mumbling to herself.

“It was a very sudden departure, without even a chance to say goodbye. And I might never see her again. So much time has passed, and I don’t know how she’s doing now or what she thinks of my leaving. But as her big sister, I don’t want her to live in gloom or torment because of me. No matter why I disappeared, I hope she can let me go and live well on her own.”

Once the silver bell was in place, it chimed together with the one below, shimmering like butterfly wings fluttering—or like the first half of their sisters’ lives walking side by side.

Mu Qian Tan lightly touched it a few times and stared silently for a moment before shifting her gaze back to the girl’s face. She asked, “Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

The meaning was crystal clear: let go of the hatred and all that. This was the most she could say.

Qin He gradually stopped crying, her face covered in glistening tear tracks. She was silent for a long time before saying softly, “Yao’e Immortal has no little sister, only a little brother.”

From that statement, it was clear Qin He knew the makeup of Yao’e Immortal’s family.

This was not surprising. For the original host to be so dependent on Qin Shuang, they must have lived together for a time and known each other’s secrets. And Qin He spoke so certainly, as if she had seen it with her own eyes. It was very likely that the sisters had taken the original host from her home and brought her into Tianyu Sect to cultivate.

The original host probably did not want to expose her half-demon identity, so the existence of White Pupil had been concealed. In Qin He’s eyes, there was only a brother that Mu Qian Tan did not yet know about.

What she had just said must have sounded like a lie to her.

“Your master must have told you—I lost my memories and can’t remember many things. Maybe I got it wrong…” Mu Qian Tan trailed off there, with no follow-up for a long time.

She had only wanted to comfort the girl because she could not stand seeing her so heartbroken, but clearly, she was not suited for this.

Besides, why bother talking more to this child? In the original story, Qin He was one of the major forces behind killing Yao’e Immortal. If her rare act of kindness ended up backfiring, it would be too tragic.

Better to mind her own business.

Mu Qian Tan wanted to turn and leave, but as she lifted her foot, she found herself stuck and unable to move.

The wind and snow rustled down, weighing on the eaves, hiding in the mountains, everywhere.

After a moment, she frowned lightly and sighed again.

She took down the rusted iron longsword from her back, held it in her hands, and examined the rust on it. “Even if I don’t remember, I can guarantee you this—the person who killed your sister wasn’t me.”

If her guess was right, Yao’e Immortal—who had given up the chance to become a god just to revive Qin Shuang, and who felt despairing pain at the mere mention of that name—could not possibly be the ungrateful wretch from the rumors who had sacrificed Qin Shuang’s life to preserve her own. There must be a misunderstanding, so she dared to say it with such certainty.

The sword trembled ever so slightly, as if sensing the struggle and wail of the remnant soul within. Mu Qian Tan gripped the hilt tightly and raised her eyes. “Take this. Maybe one day in the future, when someone comes around and is willing to speak up, everything will come to light.”

“Until then…” Mu Qian Tan said softly, “don’t waste away hating someone. Cultivate diligently instead. Make sure that when the time comes to draw your sword in the future, you’ll have cultivated the strength to do so. Otherwise, regret will be endless.”

Handing over the original host’s remnant soul was undoubtedly risky, but on one hand, Mu Qian Tan felt Yao’e Immortal would not get over that hurdle in her heart so quickly. On the other, after leaving Radiant Palace, she would seek spiritual herbs to treat her heart and then fly far away.

By the time Qin He realized there was someone else inside Yao’e’s shell, she would long be free somewhere else.

The sword in front of her looked utterly ordinary, covered in thick, dense rust. Even used as a walking stick, it would be too brittle. Why did the woman keep it by her side, and why give it to her now?

Those words still echoed in her chest. Qin He wiped her face clean, looked at the sword, then up at the woman. Though puzzled, she respectfully accepted it with both hands, her hoarse, raspy voice saying, “Thank you, Immortal.”

It was a gift from an elder, so even without knowing its purpose, she would treasure it. Qin He hung the sword on the other side of her waist. Now she had three swords in total—a scene both amusing and heartbreaking that made her nose tingle again, though no tears fell.

She realized her earlier behavior had been improper. Holding back her tears, she bowed. “Sorry, Immortal. I lost control.”

“It’s fine.” Mu Qian Tan felt she had done all she could. A belated wave of awkwardness washed over her. She waved her hand. “Alright, go back. Eat your meal.”

She noticed Qin He’s shoulders trembling slightly and thought she was cold. Mu Qian Tan called back the girl who was about to leave, took off her overcoat, and draped it over her shoulders. She patted her back. “Go back…”

She stopped after those two words. From the corner of her eye, she spotted the storage pouch and suddenly remembered something forgotten in a corner. She still owed money to this child’s master!

She yanked open the storage pouch and sure enough, spotted the little floral money pouch amid the pile of cash.

Mu Qian Tan froze. She swore she had no intention of coveting this small sum or cheating Jiang Zhouyao—it was purely that she had earned so much she happily forgot. But how could she explain that? Would anyone believe her?

Just thinking of Jiang Zhouyao waiting for repayment that afternoon, only to watch her stuff the entire money pouch into her pocket at the last moment, made her want to die of embarrassment right there. Jiang Zhouyao probably thought Yao’e had added “robbery and refusing to repay debt” to her unforgivable crimes.

“…” If only it had been money robbed from Shang Shan, she would not feel so ashamed.

Still, credit to Jiang Zhouyao for keeping her cool.

Mu Qian Tan took out the little floral money pouch, trying to keep her expression calm. “Pass this money to your master for me, and also…”