IVYSCP - Chapter 23
Chapter 23
Sharing a bed again, Ling Qingyue's mood was vastly different from before. She no longer avoided suspicion by shrinking against the wall, but she also remained motionless, her body tense.
Pei Si lay on the outer side. In the darkness, she watched Ling Qingyue's tightly shut eyes and let out a soft laugh, then shifted a little farther inward.
Feeling warmth draw close, Ling Qingyue's lashes trembled, and her breathing unconsciously lightened.
Pei Si was coming closer. What was she going to do? Should she move too? Should she also go a little closer? Part of her wanted to. Never mind, she would just pretend to be asleep.
The next moment, cool, soft lips pressed beside her ear. "We're married now. Can I hold you while we sleep?"
The fine down on her cheeks and neck stood up. Under the blanket, her fingers rubbed and kneaded back and forth. A long while later, Ling Qingyue finally heard her own voice: "You... you can."
That was right. They were married. Pei Si was her wife. They could hold each other while sleeping. There was nothing wrong with that.
Another soft laugh came by her ear, tickling Ling Qingyue's ear.
"Then come a little closer."
Ling Qingyue half-opened her eyes and saw Pei Si facing her, raising an arm. She pressed her lips together and slowly inched toward her. When she touched Pei Si's arm, she stopped moving.
She hadn't drawn very close, yet the woman's light, cool fragrance still overbearingly disrupted Ling Qingyue's thoughts.
How could she smell so good, like a flower yao, stirring the heart and beguiling the spirit, making her unable to resist wanting to draw even nearer.
Before Ling Qingyue could move closer, a hand settled across her waist. The palm pressed against her lower back, and with a slight application of force, the front of Ling Qingyue's body pressed against the woman's soft form. Now the fragrance was even stronger.
"Sleep."
Her forehead was lightly nuzzled. Ling Qingyue felt warmth bloom in her chest, and so, boldly, she turned her head and buried her face in the crook of the woman's neck.
This tight embrace was a first for Ling Qingyue, and it was a first for Pei Si as well.
That night she had tried soul-leaving again, and her soul had weakened further. With her eyes closed, Ling Qingyue breathed in the scent and soon fell asleep.
The person in her arms gradually settled into slow, steady breathing. Only then did Pei Si move the arm wrapped around her, her fingertips lightly sliding twice along the back of Ling Qingyue's neck. Whether it tickled or not, Ling Qingyue shrank further into her embrace and made an uneasy little sound.
Pei Si thought she was alert to danger outside. She lifted her hand and gently patted her back, murmuring softly, "It's all right. No need to be afraid."
As her words fell, a small sleep-inducing array formation settled into place, and Ling Qingyue sank into deeper slumber.
Pei Si drew back a little, her palm resting against the face of the person in her arms. This body was not very old yet; the skin was still dewy and supple.
Ling Qingyue had been just as young when she fell.
Bowing her head until it touched Ling Qingyue's forehead, Pei Si once more entered her Spiritual Platform.
This time, the soul within the Spiritual Platform was noticeably more vigilant than before. The moment her spiritual sense drew near, the soul looked over warily, showing an inclination to strike.
To fight the soul within the Spiritual Platform was extremely dangerous. Although at Ling Qingyue's current cultivation level Pei Si could subdue her directly, that would very likely injure her. Her soul was already fragile and could not endure any provocation.
"Ling Qingyue, don't be afraid." Pei Si saw fresh wounds on the soul that she had repaired just the night before, and knew the person had secretly done soul-leaving again.
The soul remained alert and guarded against her, baring teeth and bristling like a cat with its fur standing on end. The injuries both large and small crisscrossing the soul only made the bristling cat look all the more pitiful.
Spiritual sense tentatively sent out wisps of spiritual energy to approach. The soul, without the slightest politeness, blocked them all back.
Pei Si was not impatient. She retreated several steps to maintain distance. The soul stared at her, tilting its head, as if not understanding what she intended to do.
She released spiritual energy again. This time, Pei Si did not let the spiritual energy draw too near. The spiritual energy condensed into small spheres that floated around the soul.
At first, the soul fiercely tried to swat them away. Gradually sensing that the other party held no malice, it retracted a little of its bristling hostility.
Pei Si waited patiently. When the soul finally sat down cross-legged, she pushed a spiritual energy sphere through the air and sent it rolling before the soul.
The soul startled, the agitation almost destabilizing the Spiritual Platform.
"Don't be afraid," Pei Si quickly said. "It can help you."
The soul looked doubtful.
Pei Si pointed at its wounds. "They hurt a lot, don't they."
The soul furrowed its brows, its expression aggrieved and discontented. Yesterday's soul-leaving had nearly torn it apart. Before it could heal and recover, today another attempt had been made to summon it out.
The soul's expression was one Pei Si knew well. To see this vivid, animated Ling Qingyue once more felt like a lifetime had passed.
She pushed another spiritual energy sphere forward. The soul did not panic as it had before, but sat there quietly, watching the sphere roll to a stop at its feet.
So obedient.
Pei Si thought.
"Do you want to play?" Pei Si shifted her approach to guide it.
The soul looked over. Pei Si flicked another sphere with her finger. The little sphere rolled roundly to the soul. The two spheres met and merged into one slightly larger sphere.
The soul tentatively reached out a hand. The moment it touched the sphere, gentle spiritual energy flowed along its fingertips and dissolved into the soul.
The cracks lacing the soul began to mend, slowly. The soul was visibly pleased. Seeing this, Pei Si transformed her spiritual energy into spheres and sent them over one by one. The soul accepted them all.
Having absorbed some spiritual energy, the soul began to repair itself. Pei Si withdrew from the Spiritual Platform and disturbed it no further.
She had spent quite a while in another's Spiritual Platform, and Pei Si was somewhat tired herself. She erased all traces of her presence within the Spiritual Platform, pulled the person tighter into her arms, closed her eyes, and fell asleep as well.
The next morning when Ling Qingyue woke, she felt none of the faint stinging pain. Only after noticing Pei Si was not in the room did she release her consciousness into her Spiritual Platform. The wounds on her soul had healed somewhat, and it was now recuperating.
What was going on?
Ling Qingyue almost doubted whether her memory had failed her again. She obviously hadn't yet begun repairing her soul. How had it started recuperating on its own? Where had the spiritual energy come from?
The next moment, Ling Qingyue nervously swept the Spiritual Platform once over. Finding no trace of anyone else having entered or left, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Hearing footsteps outside the door, she hurriedly exited the Spiritual Platform and resumed the look of having just woken up.
Forget it. In any case, it was not something bad. This body had more than one puzzle that bewildered her.
Pei Si paused outside the door for a while before raising her hand to push it open.
Ling Qingyue sat on the bed, her hair loose over her shoulders, a few unruly ends sticking up at the ends.
Her voice carried a fuzzy, sleepy thickness. "Pei Si."
Pei Si's gaze softened. She set down the water she had fetched, walked over, and bent to pinch her cheek. "Time to get up."
Ling Qingyue smiled at her. "Okay."
While dressing, Ling Qingyue suddenly said, "Pei Si, let's go eat in town later."
Pei Si nodded her agreement.
When they had finished readying themselves and left the house, Ling Qingyue had deliberately chosen a plain, elegant set of robes similar to what Pei Si wore. Her steps were lighter as she walked.
A slight turn of her head and she could see the peach-blossom wooden hairpin in Pei Si's hair.
Since that time when all the woodcarvers in town had proved unable to carve Liu Qingtang's likeness, many had set aside the effort. They felt their mortal hands could not carve the form of immortals. Though the Xue family pressed the matter, they no longer brimmed with the excitement and enthusiasm they had at the start. Lately, they had gone back to busying themselves with the carvings for their own shops. After all, they depended on woodcarving for their livelihood.
Upon reaching the town, Ling Qingyue found it bustling. Many shops were sweeping clean the ground before their doors, and outside every shop sat the same woodcarving.
"What are they doing?" Pei Si asked softly.
Ling Qingyue thought for a moment. "It seems the Green Wood Festival is almost here. They're paying respects to the immortal."
It was a good thing she had those memories from Ah Xi, or she truly wouldn't have been able to answer.
"Paying respects to the immortal?" Pei Si studied the woodcarving thoughtfully. This immortal looked somewhat familiar.
"Linshui Town was just a small village at first. Because greenwood grows on the back mountain, a passing immortal discovered it. The immortal gave them a way to earn a living, so Linshui Village became Linshui Town. Later, the townspeople made the day the immortal departed the Green Wood Festival, to express gratitude to the immortal."
After listening to her recount all this, a flicker of surprise crossed Pei Si's eyes.
A conjecture in her heart gradually became more solid. From the moment she entered the Spiritual Platform and saw only Ling Qingyue's soul, she had been thinking about the connection between Ling Qingyue and Ah Xi. She could clearly sense the difference between the two, yet all along she had never noticed anything strange about this body. Ling Qingyue's soul did not seem like something that had suddenly appeared, but rather something that had awakened in a single moment, changing from Ah Xi into Ling Qingyue.
And now that Ling Qingyue had said all that, Pei Si could now confirm that Ah Xi was Ling Qingyue. It was only that the initial Ah Xi had been Ling Qingyue before she awakened.
Round and round in circles, it was still that one person who vexed her.
Pei Si sighed inwardly. Helpless, powerless, nothing to be done.
"Let's go."
Ling Qingyue suddenly took her hand and pulled her quickly forward.
Pei Si was drawn by her into a shop. A fragrance of medicinal herbs met them, along with the light scent of rice porridge.
Ling Qingyue called out, not the least bit shy with strangers. "Auntie Yang, two bowls of medicinal porridge."
Linshui Town was nestled against the mountain, and the back mountain held many fine medicinal herbs. Besides woodcarvings, the town mostly had medicine shops and medicinal foods. And with some connection to the immortals, the townspeople were also quite skilled at tending the body, often incorporating herbs into their food.
"Just a moment." Auntie Yang beamed until her eyes were narrow slits. "Aiya, Ah Xi, it's been such a long time."
When she saw Pei Si beside her, Auntie Yang's smile grew even brighter. "Brought your wife here, eh. Really now, married all this time and only now bringing her out. What's this, she's too pretty so you wanted to hide her away?"
At the teasing, Ling Qingyue blushed a little.
Auntie Yang teased her no more and turned to get busy. Her family's medicinal food had the best taste.
Pei Si looked on from the side, now even more certain of her earlier conjecture.
The medicinal porridge was soon served. Auntie Yang even gave them extra pastries.
Ling Qingyue looked at Pei Si with expectation.
Pei Si scooped up a spoonful, blew on it to cool it, then naturally brought it to Ling Qingyue's lips.
Ling Qingyue froze. "I just wanted you to try it..."
Pei Si looked at her, her tone carrying a coaxing note. "Hurry."
Ling Qingyue took the first mouthful from Pei Si's hand. Sweet, carrying a unique herbal fragrance.
"Is it good?" Pei Si asked.
Ling Qingyue nodded firmly. Her fingers clenched and unclenched to temper her current state of mind.
So happy, so content. She felt like she couldn't help but go ride her sword in a circle.
Pei Si saw her fidgeting and knew she was happy right now. The corner of her lips curved as she also ate a spoonful of porridge.
Ling Qingyue's gaze fixed upon that spoon. Her fingers clenched again, and beneath the table her toes curled up and wiggled.
They had used the same spoon.
Not far away, Auntie Yang saw this scene, and fine lines crinkled at the corners of her eyes.
After finishing the medicinal porridge, the two walked hand in hand slowly along the bluestone path toward home. When they passed Lin Zhao's house, they saw Lin Zhao draped in her rain cape, just about to head out.
She still walked with a limp. Her leg injury clearly had not yet healed.
Ling Qingyue asked, "You're still going up the mountain to gather herbs like this?"
Lin Zhao looked up and saw it was her and Pei Si. She nodded, hearing the concern in Ling Qingyue's words, and smiled. "It's fine. This time I won't go into the deep parts. I know the back mountain very well, I'll be back soon."
Having said this, Lin Zhao set off with her herb basket on her back, only a crooked, gnarled wooden staff in her hand.
Ling Qingyue lifted her head to glance at the somewhat overcast sky and the barrier that still had not been withdrawn. Then she watched Lin Zhao's distant figure and pressed her lips together.
Lin Zhao and Ah Xi had grown up together, after all.
Pei Si observed her expression, guessing that she would follow for sure.
And sure enough, after returning home, Ling Qingyue soon found an excuse to go to the woodcarving shop. Pei Si did not ask many questions, only before she left she pulled her into an embrace and left something upon her person.
After the person had gone, Pei Si lifted her head and looked at the barrier overhead.
The wind and rain were about to arrive.
Comments
Post a Comment