IVYSCP - Chapter 14
Chapter 14
Ling Qingyue stormed down the mountain in a huff, but still remembered to stop in town and buy some Xuan paper for Pei Si. These days she had been taking care of Pei Si at home, watching her practice calligraphy and paint, and the household's supply of Xuan paper was visibly dwindling by the day.
At the bookshop, Ling Qingyue's sharp ears caught a few people gathered together in discussion.
"Did you hear? An old beggar died west of town."
"What's so strange about a dead old beggar? Worth bringing up?"
"One beggar doesn't amount to much, but the way he died was bizarre! All the blood in his body was dried up. Nothing left but a layer of skin and a skeleton!"
"It's broad daylight. Don't try to scare people."
"Why would I scare you? I saw it with my own eyes! Even Piaomiao Sect immortals have gone there. In any case, everyone should stay inside the next few days."
"Ah Xi, your Xuan paper." The bookshop owner brought the paper over.
Ling Qingyue took it with a nod of thanks, her expression slightly solemn.
All the blood dried up, a desiccated corpse left behind. That manner of death…
A thought flashed through her mind, and Ling Qingyue immediately dismissed it.
Impossible. A hundred years ago, during the Immortal-Demon War, the Formless Demon Lord was slain. The Demon Race, leaderless, was driven into the Great Wilderness. How could they possibly appear in the Mortal Realm? Much less with the Heavenly Gate standing as a barrier between the immortal and the mortal.
Forget it. She would ask Lu Yao about it later. Even if there really were some evil spirit, Piaomiao Sect cultivators were right here.
Ling Qingyue carried the Xuan paper home. On the way, craving something sweet, she also bought some sugared pastries to share with Pei Si.
Arriving home, she walked briskly down the corridor toward the pavilion. Seeing that graceful, elegant figure, the corner of her mouth lifted.
"I'm back."
Pei Si raised her head to look. A light, rippling smile stirred in her eyes. Among the jet-black strands of her long hair was tucked a peach-blossom wooden hairpin.
"Come here."
She extended a hand. Ling Qingyue looked at that pale, slender hand, hesitated, then placed her own hand into it. Following the woman's pull, she stepped up onto the platform. Immediately, a waist was gently encircled, a cool, crisp aura enveloped her, and a slight weight settled on her shoulder.
Pei Si had embraced her from behind.
Ling Qingyue felt the tips of her ears burn. Her breathing began to grow unsteady.
"Look." Pei Si pointed at the calligraphy on the table. "Is it beautiful?"
Pei Si's characters were strong and vigorous, carrying the sharpness of blades and swords, not quite matching the person herself.
Ling Qingyue looked at the words on the paper, her throat a little tight.
She could not say it was beautiful, nor could she say it wasn't.
What was beautiful was Pei Si's calligraphy. But the paper was filled with the names of Pei Si and Ah Xi. It had nothing to do with her.
Ling Qingyue's thoughts were not open and honorable. And it was precisely because of this hidden, unworthy thought that now, looking at those two names pressed so close together, she felt nothing but bitterness.
"It isn't beautiful?"
Pei Si tilted her head slightly to ask. They were suddenly even closer. Ling Qingyue could feel the woman's breath brushing against her skin, making her tremble lightly against her will.
"It's… it's beautiful." Ling Qingyue forced out a smile.
Pei Si curved her lips, tightening her arms and holding the person in her embrace closer.
Her gaze fell upon the back of the person in her arms' ear. The red mole there had deepened slightly in color.
"Come. I haven't seen your handwriting yet. Write something too, won't you?" Pei Si handed her the brush.
Ling Qingyue took the brush, hesitated a moment, and wrote two characters on the paper.
Pei Si.
Ling Qingyue had grown up in Shangtianqiong. Her calligraphy followed her master's, upright and proper, horizontal lines flat and vertical strokes straight.
Pei Si gazed at the characters on the paper, the faint smile at her lips slowly fading a little.
Was it because of the Emotion Transference? Even this handwriting looked remarkably like that person's.
At night, Ling Qingyue lay in bed, unable to fall asleep. Her heart was troubled and restless.
That morning, learning that Lu Yao had given all the Spirit Stones to Meng Qi, her anger had unexpectedly given rise to a secret delight.
Without those Spirit Stones, the speed of her cultivation recovery would slow a little, and then she could… stay by Pei Si's side a while longer.
But what sort of person did that make her? How could she face Ah Xi? And besides… the one Pei Si liked was also Ah Xi, not her, this dead, solitary soul.
Her heart felt sour and astringent. Ling Qingyue noticed her own breathing had grown heavier. Fearing she might disturb Pei Si beside her, she quietly got up, climbed over Pei Si from the foot of the bed, and stepped out the bedroom door.
In the courtyard, she let the wind blow over her for a while and looked at the stars. Ling Qingyue suddenly found herself missing the people of the Immortal Realm.
Missing her master, missing her senior sisters, missing Yue Shouming and Yu Liuli.
She had fallen for someone she shouldn't have, and she had no one at her side to talk to. If her master and senior sisters were here, they would surely scold her, maybe even put her in confinement to reflect on her mistakes. If it were Yue Shouming and Yu Liuli, they might laugh at her a bit, and then share her melancholy, urging her to cut off these thoughts early. Though it was also possible they might come up with some bad ideas, like telling her to hide Pei Si somewhere no one knew, elope, and be a pair of lovebirds flying side by side.
Thinking about it, Ling Qingyue let out a quiet laugh. A kind of anticipation rose in her heart, the hope of seeing those people again. But there was also some reluctance. Reluctance to part with Pei Si.
The laughter died. Ling Qingyue gathered the outer robe around herself and stood, preparing to go back inside.
Just then, a sound stirred from the direction of the wooden shed. Ling Qingyue's eyes sharpened. She turned her head to look.
Stepping onto the corridor, Ling Qingyue released a thread of spiritual energy to scout the path ahead.
Reaching the wooden shed, Ling Qingyue faintly heard a heavy, ragged breathing, seeming to waver in and out of existence.
She lifted a leg and violently kicked the door open. At the same moment, a dark shadow flickered past the window. The shadow's form was huge. It directly smashed through the window and charged out.
Ling Qingyue pursued without a moment's hesitation. Beyond the wooden shed's window was the back street. The dark shadow was extremely cunning. It darted through the shadows of buildings, concealing its shape, making it hard to discern.
But such petty tricks could hardly stump Ling Qingyue. She had once chased a shadow yao for a full half month, until the shadow yao cursed her out furiously, screaming that she wasn't human.
Ling Qingyue chased the dark shadow. A spiritual sword condensed in her hand. She swung it and slashed over.
In the darkness, a muffled grunt of pain rang out, the voice rough and strange, not human at all.
Ling Qingyue's brows pressed down. She was about to strike another sword to see just what this thing was when two white silhouettes flashed in the corner of her eye. She immediately ducked into an alleyway and hid.
It was Lu Yao and her senior sister.
Voices drew near from the distance.
"Senior Sister, just what is that thing?" Lu Yao sounded somewhat panicked.
Yu Ting's tone was grave. "Let us hope it is only an ordinary evil spirit."
Then she spoke again. "First set up a barrier. It seems to have fled toward the back mountain. Tomorrow, you will accompany me to patrol the mountain."
Lu Yao: "Yes, Senior Sister."
After the two had left, Ling Qingyue emerged from the alley. She walked to a spot beneath the shadows.
A pool of blood stained the bluestone ground. She had wounded the thing earlier.
"Let us hope it is only an ordinary evil spirit." Ling Qingyue repeated Yu Ting's words from just a moment ago.
Her figure melded into the darkness. Ling Qingyue turned and headed back.
After she was gone, another person stepped out. Long hair was tied behind her head with a peach-blossom wooden hairpin. She stood there with peerless grace.
Pei Si's gaze was deep and heavy as she stared at the direction where Ah Xi's presence had disappeared. She continually recalled the posture of that raised hand, that sword swing just now.
Her voice trembled faintly, each word forced out one at a time, laced with bewilderment and doubt. "Ling, Qing, Yue?"
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