Chapter 100#

Helping You Find Yourself#

At the Qinghe Lane post house, in the New Moon Residence.

Zhou Xiaosu sat across from Bai Ruoye, clutching a handkerchief and weeping, lamenting her bitter fate in a mournful voice. She said that Yan Jinyu had fallen for someone else, slapped her in front of the servants, made her wash clothes in freezing winter water, and then handed her over to Sang Chiyu. Sang Chiyu, she claimed, had never forgiven her for calling him “little monster” in the past and was deliberately taking revenge. She went on and on, tears streaming like rain. As she spoke, she stole glances at Bai Ruoye’s expression, but Bai Ruoye seemed somewhat weary, as if her mind was elsewhere.

“Senior Sister,” Zhou Xiaosu complained, “Are you even listening to me? I’ve been pouring my heart out, and you haven’t said a single word.”

Bai Ruoye snapped back to attention, frowning at Zhou Xiaosu. Today, Zhou Xiaosu was dressed very properly—her hair styled high with gold hairpins, and she wore a heavy scent of plum blossom that gave Bai Ruoye a headache.

The Zhou Xiaosu of today was not the same as the one she had encountered in the palace that day. From her demeanor to her movements, they were simply not the same person. Bai Ruoye leaned back a little, trying to escape the overpowering fragrance, and said, “Do you remember what I told you yesterday? Marrying Yan Jinyu was asking for trouble. Now you regret it, but it’s too late.”

She hadn’t said any such thing yesterday. She was testing this Zhou Xiaosu.

The stove in the room was burning too fiercely. Zhou Xiaosu picked up a waist fan and fanned herself vigorously, her eyes still blurry with tears. “Senior Sister, didn’t you say I could come to you for help whenever I needed it? Are those words no longer valid?”

No reaction. The tail was well hidden. Bai Ruoye smiled. “Alright, I’ll go find Sang Chiyu right now. Where is he? Take me to him.”

“Why look for Sang Chiyu?” Zhou Xiaosu grew anxious. “The culprit is Yan Jinyu. We should find him first.”

The fake Yan Jinyu, played by Han Ye, was waiting at the post house. If Bai Ruoye came to him, he would do everything he could to argue and entangle her. With the drama unfolding tightly, they could keep Bai Ruoye occupied and prevent her from returning to the Stone Nest, buying time for Sang Chiyu and Su Ruhui. Of course, apart from the acting, they had also laced the teacup with a sleeping drug. Two preparations ensured that nothing could go wrong.

Zhou Xiaosu smiled and poured tea for Bai Ruoye. “Senior Sister, after all that talking, you must be thirsty. Have some tea.”

Bai Ruoye took the cup but didn’t drink. “Yan Jinyu is a weakling, useless. We need to find Sang Chiyu and get him to agree to let you go. He’s the Saint now, a favorite of Father. Father indulges him completely. If you want freedom, you have to work through Sang Chiyu. Come, take me to him.”

Zhou Xiaosu forced a smile. “That makes sense, but…”

Bai Ruoye raised an eyebrow. “But what?”

Cold sweat beaded on Zhou Xiaosu’s forehead, and she fanned herself faster and faster. She said dryly, “I don’t know where he is either. He’s so fierce and terrifying.”

Bai Ruoye said, “You don’t know, but I do.”

Zhou Xiaosu was taken aback. “You know?”

Bai Ruoye smiled. “At the Stone Nest, right?”

Zhou Xiaosu’s fan clattered onto the table. She quickly picked it up and laughed awkwardly. “If you ask me, who am I supposed to ask? What would he be doing at the Stone Nest?”

“Going to rescue Tantai Jing, of course,” Bai Ruoye said, looking down at the clear tea in her cup. “So that’s it. Yan Jinyu has been replaced by you. Who was that Yan Jinyu I saw that day? Could it be A-Hui?” When she mentioned Su Ruhui, her words paused for a moment. “Sang Chiyu wasn’t affected by Father’s Heartlink Transcendence, and he even found out that Tantai Jing is still alive. Your diversionary tactic today is all to rescue him.”

“Se… Senior Sister…” Zhou Xiaosu was at a loss.

Bai Ruoye reached out her hand toward her.

“What are you doing?” Zhou Xiaosu stammered.

“A-Hui gave you a compass to contact him, didn’t he? Give me the compass,” Bai Ruoye said.

Zhou Xiaosu hesitated.

Bai Ruoye patted her shoulder. “Xiaosu, don’t force me to use force. You’re a healing mystic, you can’t beat me.”

Zhou Xiaosu took the compass out of her pocket and handed it to Bai Ruoye. Her heart was bitter. Su Ruhui had told her that their senior sister was different now, but she hadn’t believed him. Now she could see it was true—their senior sister had never threatened her before.

The compass glowed with a green light, runes floating. Bai Ruoye picked it up and called, “A-Hui.”

A clear male voice answered, “Senior Sister.”

Bai Ruoye sighed lightly. “You still call me Senior Sister.”

“Don’t you still call me A-Hui?” Su Ruhui’s voice was very calm. “What do you want? Out with it.”

“You’re still as impulsive as ever. Rushing into a tiger’s den isn’t brave, it’s stupid,” Bai Ruoye said. “Leave Tantai Jing in the Stone Nest, and I’ll pretend today never happened.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the compass. Then Su Ruhui said, “Too bad. I’ve already sent him back to Lizhou.”

Bai Ruoye didn’t believe him. “Xiaosu is here, A-Hui. Bring Tantai Jing to me, and I’ll return Xiaosu to you.”

Zhou Xiaosu made a pained face. “Senior Sister, you’re so heartless. Are you threatening me to get to Senior Brother?”

Su Ruhui laughed on the other end. “Senior Sister, you can’t touch her.”

Bai Ruoye gripped the compass, her knuckles turning white. Her voice suddenly turned cold. “Su Ruhui, I cut your throat before. What makes you think I won’t touch Zhou Xiaosu?”

“Senior Sister, you’re confused,” Su Ruhui said. “I said you can’t, not that you won’t.”

Bai Ruoye froze for a second, then realized that her fingertips were tingling.

“Senior Sister, you’re smart. I didn’t expect that idiot Zhou Xiaosu could fool you. When you came today, you must have noticed something was off about her. You would also find that she kept urging you to go see Yan Jinyu. Of course, you wouldn’t go, because you knew the Yan Jinyu there wasn’t the real one. Additionally, you would notice she was pushing you to drink tea. You wouldn’t drink either, because, as you guessed, the tea was drugged.” Su Ruhui spoke slowly and deliberately. “But while you were guarding against all that, you forgot one other thing.”

Bai Ruoye gritted her teeth. “The fragrance…”

Across from her, Zhou Xiaosu was already starting to collapse.

“That’s right. I didn’t tell Zhou Xiaosu that I added a little sleeping drug to her perfume,” Su Ruhui said with a smile. “I also cranked up the stove in the room you were talking in. Zhou Xiaosu got hot, so she fanned herself. The wind spread the scent everywhere. Everything seemed natural because it wasn’t acted—it was Xiaosu’s spontaneous behavior. Spontaneous actions don’t show any tells. The only flaw in this plan is that Xiaosu would also be affected, but that’s not a big deal. Sacrificing a junior sister to trap a senior sister—worth it.”

Zhou Xiaosu cursed Su Ruhui a couple of times, then slumped over, unconscious.

Bai Ruoye was still struggling, refusing to pass out. In front of her, the sliding door opened, and Su Ruhui walked in from outside, followed by an expressionless Sang Baobao.

Su Ruhui helped her up and let her smell some mint. Bai Ruoye’s mind finally cleared a little, and the blurry figures before her gradually sharpened. Su Ruhui was just the same as ever, squatting beside her with a carefree air. From his eyes, Bai Ruoye could see no trace of resentment or anger. Sang Baobao, on the other hand, was cold and clearly hostile—Bai Ruoye could tell he disliked her.

“Aren’t you going to put me in shackles?” Bai Ruoye stared at Su Ruhui. “Su Ruhui, don’t you learn? I killed you before. Aren’t you afraid I’ll do it again?”

Su Ruhui smiled. “Senior Sister, you won’t.”

This time it wasn’t “you can’t” but “you won’t.”

“You’re wrong,” Bai Ruoye said with a self-deprecating laugh, her hand on her sword hilt. “You’re always like this, clinging to old ties, thinking everyone is as soft-hearted as you. Even when you suspected me before, I said a few words and you believed me. Now I’ve cut your throat, and you still hold onto some foolish hope, coming into this den of dangers expecting me to turn back. Your heart is too kind. I’m so vile, so unscrupulous, and yet you can forgive me. A-Hui, remember this: I am a demon. My parents were demons. I was born in a blizzard of the Snow Domain. From the moment I could speak, I swore to give everything for my race. We were once as close as brothers and sisters, but A-Hui, for my people, I would cut off my own hands and feet.”

Sang Baobao quietly raised a paw, its claws gleaming.

Su Ruhui sat steadily, not at all alarmed by the sword at Bai Ruoye’s waist.

He gave a light laugh. “Fine. If you want to cut off your limbs, I won’t stop you. I have no standing to stop you. Different paths cannot be walked together—that’s normal. But Senior Sister, I hope you recognize the true faces of those walking with you. Traveling with wolves, your road won’t be long. There’s something I need to tell you.”

Bai Ruoye took a deep breath. “What is it?”

“Do you remember the Spirit Breath Pills you have to take every day?” Su Ruhui said. “Do you remember your inexplicable headaches? The demon you sent to kill me, Shentu? He has headaches too, and he also takes Spirit Breath Pills. Have you never wondered why?”

“Get to the point,” Bai Ruoye said.

“Every demon affected by Heartlink Transcendence develops headaches, because King Luofu altered your cognition and memory. The side effect of Heartlink Transcendence is severe headache, which can only be alleviated with medicine.” Su Ruhui looked into her eyes. “Senior Sister, King Luofu used Heartlink Transcendence on you.”

Silence reigned in the room, as if someone had cut off all sound.

Su Ruhui continued, “Xiaosu’s mystic art can remove the effects of Heartlink Transcendence. Senior Sister, we can help you find yourself.”

Bai Ruoye turned her face toward the window. The heavy snow was melting, and pear blossoms had bloomed. She said, “There’s no need.”

Su Ruhui was taken aback. “Why?”

“I know about the Heartlink Transcendence.” She turned back. “A-Hui, thank you for your kindness, but you’re mistaken. I’ve always known. The Snow Domain is too far from the mortal world. It is so beautiful here, so warm, that demons who come here can’t help but grow attached, forgetting their suffering kin in the blizzards. To make cowards brave, to make travelers remember their homeland, every demon who ventures far from the Snow Domain and infiltrates the mortal world must accept Father’s Heartlink Transcendence—including me. Father brands our thoughts with an indelible mark. Loyalty is our only faith.”

Su Ruhui slowly furrowed his brow.

Bai Ruoye’s voice was very calm. “With Heartlink Transcendence, we will never betray, never retreat, and will forever fight for our kin.”