Yuan Ge originally did not understand love.
Though she, as a flower demon of the other shore, had witnessed countless separations and reunions, she remained merely an observer and could not discern any deeper nuances. At most, she felt a passing sadness as if she were watching a play from the audience, then turned her head to cast aside those loves and hates, returning to her carefree life as a flower demon.
Having seen enough, there were times when she even felt dissatisfaction with certain infatuated souls in the ghost realm—wasn’t it foolish to keep everything bottled up when it could simply be expressed? Why hide it away only to bring unspeakable feelings to the banks of the River of Forgetfulness, never to have the chance to voice them?
That was truly stupid. At that time, Yuan Ge scoffed at it. Humans were troublesome; they should learn from us demons. Love is love, hate is hate; be frank and forthright, passionately and unabashedly express your feelings. What could be difficult about that?
Until she met Nan Shuang, and from that moment on, she became an actress on the stage instead of a spectator in the audience, personally performing this awkward pantomime.
Yuan Ge felt unwilling. She didn’t understand why she had become so constrained, as unfamiliar emotions sprouted in her heart, making her feel unlike herself. This transformation brought her fear and unease. She had thought of simply coming clean, after all, Nan Shuang was already a member of the ghost realm; no matter what, she would remain there. Even if she didn’t accept her feelings, there was nowhere she could escape to—
This was the greedy thinking belonging to the demon race, a desire to possess their beloved.
But every time she thought of the possibility of being rejected by Nan Shuang, she hesitated, and thus many years passed.
The reckless flower demon finally tasted the bitterness of love; she no longer mocked those souls with their obsessions, and often lingered by the River of Forgetfulness, staring blankly at the endless water surface. She understood what cowardice was, what it meant to be anxious about gaining or losing. It was really annoying; if only she hadn’t fallen for Nan Shuang.
This conflicting emotion lingered in her heart for a long time. Life in the ghost realm was uneventful, yet Yuan Ge always felt anxious. This anxiety had been accumulating over the past two years, gradually reaching a point of overflow, causing her to carry a heavy heart day and night, often plagued by terrifying thoughts that would spring to mind uncontrollably.
—Nan Shuang had already left the ghost realm and was very likely not to return.
That person was like the wind, elusive and hard to grasp. Even when in the ghost realm, Yuan Ge had never truly held onto her presence, let alone suddenly finding herself in a place completely unfamiliar to her.
But for Nan Shuang, this was a return to her homeland, as if she were a fish back in water. Yuan Ge remembered the day the passage between realms unexpectedly opened, the ghost realm shook violently, and golden flames mingled with the heavenly light streamed down from the heavens. She was at a loss, while Nan Shuang stood still, gazing at the sky, the light in her eyes making Yuan Ge too afraid to look longer, instinctively turning her head away.
Nan Shuang must want to return to the cultivation realm, Yuan Ge thought, forcibly ignoring the increasingly apparent unease in her heart, and analyzing it with false calmness. After all, that was her familiar territory, and the ghost realm had nothing to offer.
But what did she have? What could she do to stop Nan Shuang?
The seed of unease blossomed into a fragile flower. Yuan Ge could only dazedly follow Nan Shuang to the cultivation realm, watching as Pei Chen approached without a care, and though she dared not show her anger, she felt she had no right to speak up about this. Gradually, through daily companionship, she lost her determination.
It’s alright. Yuan Ge silently thought; at least Nan Shuang didn’t seem to like that Pei Chen. She wouldn’t leave her yet.
“——You will definitely regret this.”
This thought had been deeply rooted for too long. When she heard the usually cold Yun Duan speak with an unexpectedly firm tone, she was taken aback, taking a while to slowly respond, “…What?”
The person in front of her had already composed herself after accidentally revealing a moment of vulnerability, but Yuange was certain she had seen a glimmer of tears in Yun Duan’s eyes when she looked up.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” Yun Duan continued, her tone as calm as ever, but for some reason, she appeared serious. Her dark eyes were heavy, carrying unspeakable complex emotions as they gazed at Yuange. “Compared to the moment when you want to say something but she is no longer by your side… nothing could be more terrifying than that.”
The end of her sentence was soft, causing Yuange’s heart to skip a beat. Yun Duan perhaps did not realize that she had unintentionally revealed a hint of fragility. That fragile sense of longing easily struck a chord with Yuange, who suddenly felt a wave of empathy and found herself at a loss for words.
“…I can somewhat understand your considerations.”
After a moment of silence, Yun Duan spoke softly again, “I know nothing about your relationship, not even a little. But…”
She paused, slightly closing her eyes for a moment before continuing, “…To be anxious about gaining and losing, to want more but fear losing everything, if you stay here, it seems at least you can secure a place for yourself, so this way isn’t so bad after all.”
“This feeling, I…” Yun Duan lowered her gaze, her eyes deep as night reflecting a faint light, “I understand it all too well.”
“I can’t tell you that what I’m saying now is definitely correct. There is indeed a possibility that Nan Shuang will reject you and distance herself from you; I don’t deny that.”
Yuange’s heart tightened as she saw the woman, like a white crane, gently bow her head, her lips pressed tightly, devoid of color, her neck delicate and fragile.
“But I can tell you that I deeply regret it now.”
Yun Duan’s voice trembled slightly, yet she obstinately said, “Every single day and night in the past, I’ve constantly wondered—why didn’t I say anything? I had so many opportunities, so much time, why didn’t I ever tell her?”
Yuange could not see her expression, but instinctively felt she should not stare at Yun Duan closely at that moment, so she lowered her own head instead. She glanced at her hands unconsciously clenched in her lap, and in her confusion, she heard Yun Duan’s final sentence, which concluded their sudden conversation for the night.
“When I find her, the first thing I want to say to her is how much I like her.”
“——It’s not the kind of liking that sisters have; it’s the kind of liking that wants to spend a lifetime together.”
The next morning.
Wanshao yawned as she entered the courtyard and spotted Yun Duan standing there, just sheathing her sword after clearly practicing.
Impressed by how diligent Yun Duan was, Wanshao felt much more awake and hurried over. Yun Duan glanced up and nodded slightly in acknowledgment, and the two of them walked together to sit in the pavilion. Wanshao thought for a while and finally chose a rather bland greeting as her opening line, “…Good morning, Yun Zhongjun. Did you sleep well last night?”
The expression on the person before her was no longer as intense as it had been when she left in a huff yesterday. Yun Duan remained as composed as always, her brow slightly furrowed. After pondering for a moment, she replied, “I’m okay, not too bad.”
Knowing that this person was one who rarely voiced her worries, Wanshao nodded in response while observing her complexion closely. After receiving Yun Duan’s consent, she took her pulse, feeling somewhat relieved. “Though you seem a bit malnourished, that’s an old problem. Overall, it hasn’t worsened much since you left; it’s just that your qi and blood are still somewhat stagnant. It’s probably related to having too many concerns on your mind.”
Suddenly, she paused, hesitated for a moment, and then leaned closer to Yun Duan, whispering, “After you left yesterday, I had a big argument with that Nan Shuang. What she said, I suspect nine out of ten times is—”
“You two woke up pretty early, huh?”
Wanshao’s words were interrupted by Nan Shuang’s lazy voice, and for some reason, she felt guilty as if she had been caught stealing. She quickly turned her head, glaring fiercely at Nan Shuang, then huffed and turned away, feeling quite vindicated in getting the first word in.
After the unpleasantness of yesterday and having heard some of their issues from Yuange, Yun Duan felt somewhat uncomfortable. She nodded slightly and said, “I heard that the ghost clan generally doesn’t like daylight. I thought Shuangjiang wouldn’t come out during the day.”
“I can’t say I like it; it’s just too bright.” As if yesterday’s unpleasantness had never happened, Nan Shuang lounged lazily on the pavilion bench and said, “But since I’m awake, there’s nothing to do just staying inside—by the way, Yun Zhongjun, have you seen Yuange?”
Yun Duan’s heart skipped a beat. Before she could say anything, Wanshao chimed in, “Aren’t you two sharing a room? How come you don’t know where she went? What’s the point of asking us?”
Nan Shuang glanced at Wanshao but didn’t get angry. Instead, she smiled and said, “Even ghost clans need rest. I usually sleep soundly at night; I don’t have the same regular schedule as you flower fairies.”
“Last night, it seems she sneaked out. She probably wanted to play in the snow in the courtyard, so I didn’t say anything to avoid scaring her,” Nan Shuang said, looking at the few shapeless snowballs in the corner of the yard, her gaze flickering slightly. “She did come back late last night, but when I woke up, she was gone again. Yun Zhongjun must have gotten up early; do you know where she is now?”
Yun Duan tightened her lips slightly. She didn’t know Yuange’s exact whereabouts, but she had some guesses in her mind. Even though Yuange hadn’t specifically instructed her, she probably didn’t intend for Nan Shuang to know. If that were the case, Yuange would have told Nan Shuang herself; there would be no need for her to mention it.
With this thought, Yun Duan maintained a calm expression and shook her head. “I haven’t seen her.”
Her answer clearly surprised Nan Shuang. There was a barely perceptible moment of astonishment on her face, which quickly returned to normal as she lazily leaned against the chair’s backrest and said with a smile, “It seems she ran out early to play. She’s quite spirited and often acts on a whim like that.”
The last two sentences felt a bit redundant, and Yun Duan raised an eyebrow subtly, feeling that Nan Shuang’s words sounded more like she was speaking to herself rather than addressing her directly. However, seeing Nan Shuang’s composed demeanor, Yun Duan dismissed it as just a fleeting impression. It was clear that the ghost queen was unable to stay quiet for long and was ready to stir up trouble again. Despite Yun Duan’s apparent intention to change the subject, Nan Shuang pressed on, saying, “You remember what I said yesterday, right? A day has passed; how have you considered it?”
Yun Duan’s brow twitched slightly as she replied coolly, “Just nonsense. There’s no need to remember it.”
“Nonsense…” Nan Shuang repeated with a teasing tone, smiling as she continued, “Yun Zhongjun seems quite confident, are you so sure that Shang Can wouldn’t have any disdain for you?”
Yun Duan’s expression remained unchanged as she looked directly at Nan Shuang, enunciating each word clearly. “Unless I hear her say it to me personally.”
“…” Nan Shuang met her gaze for a while before suddenly seeming to lose interest. She tilted her head away, half-closed her eyes, and waved her hand dismissively. “Then forget it; let’s leave it at that.”
This person’s emotions changed swiftly, making it hard for Yun Duan to grasp her thoughts. Deciding to stand up to end the conversation, she unexpectedly heard a familiar flapping sound coming from the sky. She lightly hummed in confusion, just as Wanshao exclaimed, “What a fat bird!”
Yun Duan quickly walked out of the pavilion and indeed saw Chu Ming’s spirit bird struggling to flap its wings as it flew toward her. It finally landed on a branch, letting out a relaxed sigh, showing a hint of human-like demeanor.
Receiving messages from Chu Ming two days in a row was rare, so it was likely something urgent. Yun Duan straightened her posture and approached. The spirit bird bowed politely and began to convey Chu Ming’s message: “Junior Sister Yun, if there are no urgent matters in the coming days, it’s best not to go out too much.”
“Though I’m not sure why they have temporarily halted their advance, many ghosts are still watching closely outside the city. Besides, there are also movements from the demon clan.”
Yun Duan furrowed her brows; she hadn’t sensed a particularly strong demonic aura when she returned from outside the city yesterday. Just as she was pondering, she heard Chu Ming lower his voice and continue, “Though I haven’t seen anything, there’s been unusual activity from the Heavenly Outer World, surrounding Yun City in layers since yesterday. It doesn’t seem like they are only preparing to fend off the ghost clan; it feels more like they are trying to capture some great demon.”
“Qing Yu doesn’t have a close relationship with the Heavenly Outer World, and I can’t get much information from Jun Kun Yao,” Chu Ming sighed, worry evident in his voice. “I heard early this morning that Jun Kun Yao inexplicably started a fire and personally captured quite a few demons… You need to be careful on your own. If there really is a demon that makes the Heavenly Outer World so wary, just steer clear of it, and let the cultivators from the Heavenly Outer World handle it—”
The rest of his words were full of concern for her, but as Yun Duan listened hurriedly, unease rose within her. She tightened her fingers and discreetly glanced at Nan Shuang, only to see that her expression was inscrutable. Her usually lazy eyes were fixed intently on this side, exuding an unsettling chill.
Wanshao quickly grasped the implications of the spirit bird’s message. She instinctively opened her mouth, and it took her a while to regain her senses. She glanced between Yun Duan and Nan Shuang, breaking the silence in the courtyard with a hint of anxiety. “They say the Heavenly Outer World has captured quite a few demons… then… Yuange won’t be…”
Even though she felt the probability was very low, Yun Duan hesitated slightly and couldn’t immediately deny it. In that moment of uncertainty, Nan Shuang had already stood up and expressionlessly walked toward the courtyard exit. Yun Duan was taken aback and instinctively asked, “Where are you going?”
She wanted to say something reassuring, like how Yuange wouldn’t be that careless, but Nan Shuang showed no signs of stopping. She simply quickened her pace and left the courtyard, leaving behind a heavy statement, her tone tinged with coldness.
“Going to kill someone.”
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