IVYSCP - Chapter 79

Chapter 79

Blood spilled from the corner of Pei Yin's lips. After severing all the meridians in her body, her face had grown so pale it was nearly transparent, and her whole body slid limply toward the bottom of the pool.

Ling Qingyue couldn't help stepping forward. Chu Qianshan grabbed her and pulled her back. "If you go in now you'll only disrupt her."

The meridians began to reforge. The spiritual energy within the many spirit herbs in the medicinal pool visibly gathered toward Pei Yin, coalescing into fine threads that burrowed toward her heart.

At the sight, Chu Qianshan silently let out a breath of relief. Out of the corner of her eye she glanced at Ling Qingyue, who was already crying uncontrollably.

Chu Qianshan pressed her lips together, raised a hand, and patted Ling Qingyue's shoulder. "The worst part is over. Meridian Reforging won't hurt much. On the contrary, the process will gradually contain the spiritual energy inside her body and actually ease the pain of the broken meridians."

Ling Qingyue looked at her through tear-blurred eyes. "Really?"

Chu Qianshan nodded. "Really."

Ling Qingyue turned back toward the person in the pool and saw that her expression was indeed no longer as anguished as it had been when the meridians broke, but the ache in Ling Qingyue's own heart did not lessen by half.

The emotion in Chu Qianshan's eyes grew complicated. Quietly she said, "Ling Qingyue, Pei Yin has already suffered far too much for your sake. You still carry more trouble than anyone should. I know she can't just ignore you, so what about you? Can you stand by and watch her get dragged in with you?"

Ling Qingyue raised a hand and wiped her tears. "What does Senior mean to say?"

Chu Qianshan fixed her gaze on her. "Return to Little Cangshan with her. Let go of all these conflicts. I can help you through your tribulation."

She wanted to see just how much weight Pei Yin carried in Ling Qingyue's heart.

Letting all this go and staying quietly and peacefully with Pei Yin at Little Cangshan.

It did sound wonderful. But how could she let it all go? Even if she could ignore Liu Qingtang and the schemes of whoever had brought her back to life, how could she ignore Linshui Town, her senior sister, Shangtianqiong? The people of Linshui Town could very well suffer undeserved calamity because of her. Her senior sister was tangled up with Cui Heng. And Shangtianqiong could not be allowed to keep rotting away like this.

If she ignored everything, then she wouldn't be Ling Qingyue anymore. She wouldn't have needed to come back to life at all. And Pei Yin wouldn't love her either.

"Senior, I can't do that." Ling Qingyue choked out. "I can't pretend nothing happened and hide away at Little Cangshan."

Chu Qianshan's expression faltered, her eyes shifting subtly, as if those words had struck something in her.

She pulled her lips into a faint curve. Hide away at Little Cangshan?

The words she had prepared remained unspoken. Chu Qianshan said coolly, "Don't let her end up covered in wounds for you again."

---

The Meridian Reforging took three full shichen. During that time, once Chu Qianshan saw that Pei Yin's expression had eased, she returned to the East Courtyard. After preparing all the herbs, Gu Huai dusted off her hands and went back to Medicine Peak as well. Ling Qingyue kept watch by the pool the entire time, unwilling even to blink, until fine veins of red crept across her clear black-and-white eyes.

The moment the barrier vanished, Ling Qingyue flashed to Pei Yin's side, scooping up her soaking body so she could look at her.

Pei Yin's consciousness ebbed and rose; she had no clarity now, but she still knew that the person holding her was Ling Qingyue. She pressed her face against that warm neck and nuzzled, laboriously prying her eyes half open to look behind Ling Qingyue's ear. That vivid red mole was gone.

She tugged her lips into a smile. "The Emotion Transference. It's lifted."

At the sound of her low, hoarse voice, Ling Qingyue's eyes began burning again. She reached out and brushed aside the strands of hair clinging to Pei Yin's neck. Seeing the clean pale side of her neck, she nodded in reply. "Mm. It's already been lifted."

"Are you crying again?" Pei Yin lifted her head to look, but a hand was quicker and covered her eyes.

Ling Qingyue glanced at the reflection on the water. Right now her eyes were red and swollen, just like a red-eyed rabbit.

"No," she said stubbornly.

Pei Yin didn't believe her, but she truly had no strength left to pull Ling Qingyue's hand away. She was pressing nearly her entire weight against her.

"I'm a little cold."

For three or four days after Meridian Reforging she wouldn't be able to use spiritual energy at all. Without spiritual power to ward off the cold, the water in the medicinal pool was far too freezing for her.

Ling Qingyue caught on. She slipped an arm through the bend of the woman's knees and lifted her horizontally in her arms. A trace of spiritual energy circled around them, and the dharma robe on Pei Yin's body became dry and clean.

With both arms carrying her, she could no longer cover her eyes.

Their gazes met. Ling Qingyue turned her head away to evade the look.

Pei Yin wrapped her arms around Ling Qingyue's neck and leaned against her shoulder. Very seriously, she said, "Mm. No crying."

As soon as she finished she let out a soft laugh herself.

Ling Qingyue: "..."

Stepping out of the medicinal pool, Ling Qingyue dried herself off as well, then carried the woman toward Water Cloud Dwelling. She walked steadily and slowly, afraid that even a slight jostle might disturb the person in her arms. Toward an Immortal Venerable of the Immortal Realm with profound cultivation, she was as careful as if she were holding a piece of fragile porcelain.

"Qingyue." Pei Yin called her quietly. Only after she heard a response did she ask, "Did Master say anything to you?"

Ling Qingyue's lips curved into a smile as well. "You two really do know each other well."

Pei Yin tightened her arms a little, a touch uneasy. "What did she say to you?"

Ling Qingyue looked at her and blinked. "She told me to take good care of you."

More or less the same meaning.

Pei Yin raised a brow at her slightly. Really?

Her master did not seem like someone who would be so easy to deal with.

Ling Qingyue smiled a little guiltily, then told Pei Yin everything about her earlier conversation with Chu Qianshan, word for word.

When she was done, she lowered her head and rubbed her cheek against Pei Yin's forehead. Softly she asked, "It's not that I don't want to go back to Little Cangshan with you. It's just that now isn't the time. Will you think that I have too many people and things to care about, that I'm neglecting you, abandoning you?"

Pei Yin pulled her head down even lower and bit her on the chin, grinding lightly between her lips and teeth. "When have I been so petty?"

Ling Qingyue narrowed her eyes, recalling how this same person had let her thoughts run wild before just because she'd gotten a little closer to someone else. She said, rather ambiguously, "Who knows? Maybe you really are that petty."

Pei Yin was angered into laughter. She lifted a hand and pinched Ling Qingyue's ear, tugging the earlobe lightly.

It didn't exactly hurt, but Ling Qingyue still softly yielded. "I was wrong."

The light tug became a kneading rub, and soon enough that fair as jade earlobe was rubbed red and warm, hot and soft to the touch, very pleasing in the hand. Pei Yin kept at it and didn't let go.

The two of them made it all the way back to Water Cloud Dwelling, only to find Chu Qianshan already waiting in front of the East Courtyard gate.

Ling Qingyue slowly came to a stop, still carrying Pei Yin. Privately she would have preferred to carry her into the West Courtyard, but Chu Qianshan's stance made it very clear she was here to block them.

Pei Yin had seen her too, of course. She reined in some of the smile on her face and dipped her head toward Chu Qianshan in salute. Ling Qingyue lowered her head as well.

Chu Qianshan looked at them for a long moment, then turned and walked back into the East Courtyard.

Ling Qingyue looked down and exchanged a glance with Pei Yin. Pei Yin smiled. "What Master means is that you should take good care of me."

This time it was Ling Qingyue's turn to raise a doubtful brow.

Really? Your master didn't say a single word.

Seeing her not move, Pei Yin said mildly, "Could it be you were planning to send me off to the East Courtyard?"

Ling Qingyue lifted her foot and headed straight for the West Courtyard. A smile glimmered in Pei Yin's eyes.

Aside from Xue Zizai, training her skills with tireless diligence, there was one more person at the West Courtyard now, Pei Xi.

A few days before, Pei Xi had fed on Xue Zizai's dreams for three days straight until her own face had grown gaunt, sallow, and streaked with tears. After those three days she'd run off and vanished. Now, to all appearances, Pei Xi had probably eaten her fill and come back.

The two of them saw red-eyed Ling Qingyue carrying a pale-faced Pei Yin through the gate, and both rose and went to them at once.

"Are you injured?" Pei Xi twitched her nose and sniffed. She didn't pick up any strong scent of blood, but Pei Yin's aura was extremely weak.

Xue Zizai, concerned but rather awkward, asked, "What happened to Master's wife?"

Ling Qingyue thought to herself, how has getting to my room become this difficult? She looked at Pei Xi. "You, go to sleep."

Then she turned her head toward Xue Zizai. "You, go to sleep too. Look at the hour."

At those words Pei Xi's face fell. Terrified that Ling Qingyue was about to make her feed on Xue Zizai's dreams again, she immediately bolted.

Xue Zizai gave a salute and returned to her room as well, though instead of sleeping she sat cross-legged on her bed and began breathing cultivation cycles.

Ling Qingyue at last carried the woman into her room, carefully laid her on the bed, and covered her with the blanket.

Pei Yin leaned back against the head of the bed, watching her do all these things with a quiet, gentle gaze.

When Ling Qingyue finished tidying up and raised her head, she met Pei Yin looking at her like that. Her heart stirred. A little self-consciously she averted her eyes. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Pei Yin extended a hand toward her. "Come here."

Without much hesitation, Ling Qingyue placed her own hand in hers. Pei Yin's body temperature had never run high, and right now her hand was even colder than usual.

Ling Qingyue sat down at the bedside and used the warmest part of her palm to warm Pei Yin's hand.

Pei Yin smiled and gently pinched her fingertips. "Have you gotten silly? I can't use spiritual energy, but can't you?"

Ling Qingyue caught on. Crimson spiritual energy flowed from her fingertips, warming both their hands.

Pei Yin scratched her palm lightly with a fingertip. "A little closer."

At that, Ling Qingyue leaned her upper body over until their noses touched, then stopped. She whispered, "Is this close enough?"

Pei Yin tilted her head and kissed her.

A brief brush, light as a dragonfly skimming the water. Only then did she answer, satisfied. "Enough."

Ling Qingyue had guessed she wanted to kiss her. Coincidentally, she had wanted to as well, for a long while now.

The kiss fell at the corner of the lips, soft as a feather, but did not stop there.

Pei Yin obediently closed her eyes and parted her lips slightly, letting the tongue that licked and probed slip inside.

Ling Qingyue kissed her very gently, with cherishing tenderness and without desire.

After the kiss, Ling Qingyue rested her forehead against Pei Yin's and said softly, "Sleep for a while."

Pei Yin held her hand and refused to let go. "Stay with me."

"Alright."

The room was dim and without light. The two of them shed their outer robes and lay down together. Pei Yin's body still carried the chill of the medicinal pool. Ling Qingyue was warm, so Pei Yin wrapped her arms around her and held her close.

---

Early the next morning, Lu Yao came by with a large pile of nourishing spirit herbs. All of them had been sent by the Sect Leader.

When she reached the West Courtyard and saw the two of them in their usual affectionate, sweet manner, Lu Yao felt deeply reassured.

After delivering the items, Lu Yao saw Xue Zizai practicing the same sword move over and over by herself. There wasn't the slightest impatience on her face. Her condition was much better than before. Lu Yao's heart settled. She could go back and tell Lin Zhao.

Later, Chu Qianshan also made a visit. At that moment, the two were sitting together feeding the red koi, laughing at something. Ling Qingyue was smiling very happily, and as Pei Yin watched her, she smiled too.

Chu Qianshan drew a little nearer.

Ling Qingyue: "I once saw my master cry."

Pei Yin nodded. "I've seen my master cry too."

Ling Qingyue was astonished. "Really?"

Pei Yin nodded. "Mm. She often gets drunk and hugs me while she cries, then curses Grandmaster."

Ling Qingyue was puzzled. "Huh? Why curse your grandmaster?"

Pei Yin: "I don't know. She always curses Grandmaster for being irresponsible."

Chu Qianshan: "..."

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