Volume 4: Immeasurable
A Dark Moon and High Winds, a Night for Snatching People.1
Yi Qiu had never thought that she’d one day confirm her relationship with You Yan right in the middle of “enemy” territory.
But after they made it official, the dynamic between her and You Yan didn’t change much. It all felt like a dream. If it weren’t for that kiss being so real—so real it was branded onto the bottom of her heart—she’d have thought none of it had ever happened.
Then again, when she thought about it, how much more could You Yan possibly change for her?
From outside the dream to inside, and from inside the dream back out again, You Yan had already changed more than enough for her.
But to say there was absolutely no difference between being official or not wouldn’t be quite right. At least now she knew You Yan’s feelings, so she didn’t have to carefully hide those little thoughts that were already so hard to conceal in her heart.
The little alpaca from before, who was constantly on edge and would immediately drop to the ground and bury her head in apology for saying half a wrong word, had now managed to turn things around, like a salted fish turning over2. She wouldn’t have to suffer so many grievances anymore.
I guess I’ve finally made it through the worst of it.
She just didn’t know if, while she was changing the plotline in this world, the novel called 《Thin, Withered Brance》 in the other world would also change.
Was it possible that, at the same time she was changing this world, the author over there, Little Bird Coo Coo Fly, was also revising the story along this new plotline?
If that were the case, the readers following the story would surely drop their glasses in shock. After all, who could’ve imagined that the biggest villain in the entire novel would end up with the little alpaca she was raising?
Forget the readers; even she, the person who had changed the story, found it incredible every time she thought about it.
It’d be great if I had a chance to see the other world’s readers’ reactions. I wonder if those familiar IDs I used to see chasing new chapters3 and blowing water4 with in the comment section are still there arguing under the novel…
If they were, she’d love to read those comments to You Yan. You Yan would definitely find them interesting.
But speaking of which, the most important task at hand was still rescuing Chao Yun from this place.
Of course, they couldn’t rush it. You Yan’s remaining power wasn’t suited for a head-on clash with the Yi Bird. They’d have to stay on this Snake Mountain for a while longer and wait for next month’s full moon to make their move.
The days passed one by one. Aside from the discomfort of having to eat in the wind and sleep in the dew5, everything else was fine. After all, with You Yan around, she didn’t have to worry about food or drink, nor did she have to be on edge just because she was in an “enemy camp.”
The Three Realms may be vast, but only You Yan could give her this kind of security.
Time always flew by in an instant. In the blink of an eye, a new full moon had arrived.
During this half-month of waiting, Yi Qiu had been counting the days on her fingers for a long time, finally looking forward to this day.
At dusk, she and You Yan were sitting in the woods roasting a chicken when she suddenly felt the sky darken. She looked up and saw the Yi Bird flying toward the Spirit Pool on the mountain’s summit.
You Yan gazed at the Yi Bird’s enormous silhouette and couldn’t help but remark softly, “It’s almost night.”
“She’s gone to the Spirit Pool on the summit,” Yi Qiu noted.
“If I snatched her lotus while I’m at it, she’d be exceptionally upset,” You Yan said in a slow, leisurely tone.
Yi Qiu thought for a moment. “In front of her? Isn’t that a bit too arrogant?”
The Yi Bird would be weak on the night of the full moon, but no one could say for sure just how weak.
Right now, You Yan had recovered less than forty percent of her power. Both Chao Yun’s memory seal and the barrier sealing the perimeter of Snake Mountain required a lot of spiritual energy to break. She might not have the strength left for a direct confrontation with the Yi Bird.
“True. Let’s check the situation first,” You Yan said faintly, passing the fragrant roasted chicken in her hand to Yi Qiu. “Eat up. We move out after.”
“Okay!”
They were finally about to leave this place. Yi Qiu was both happy and nervous, terrified that something would go wrong with tonight’s operation.
She quickly finished her last dinner on Snake Mountain, took out a silk handkerchief to wipe her mouth and hands, and hurried to follow You Yan toward the Yi Bird’s mountain lair.
As they traveled, the sky gradually darkened.
A full moon rose from the night sky, its light gentle and somewhat dim.
The autumn mountain wind whistled against her face, and Yi Qiu couldn’t help but recall an old saying—”A dark moon is a night for murder, high winds are a time for arson.”6
If You Yan weren’t injured, she thought, and if she were still the villainous You Yan from before, she’d probably rescue Chao Yun, burn down the Yi Bird’s lair with a torch, and kill the Yi Bird to snatch that Five-Colored Thousand-Petal Lotus along the way.
After all, a night like this just had too much of a “feel of slaughter.”
Right now, just walking on this mountain and listening to the rustling of the trees and leaves, her mind couldn’t help but conjure up scenes of night raids and assassinations from various novels and TV shows.
You know, the kind with a group of assassins dressed in black, their steps light and slow, their long sabers wrapped in black cloth. They rush to the “battlefield” and lie in ambush all around. At a single command, they’ll draw their blades and charge forward, bringing about a flash of blades and shadows, followed by endless, miserable screams!
“What are you thinking about?” You Yan couldn’t help but glance at the distracted Yi Qiu beside her.
“N-nothing…” Yi Qiu lowered her head.
I’d better not tell You Yan such a goofy7 idea, or I’ll get laughed at again.
Hearing this, You Yan was silent for a moment before saying, “You’re walking so slowly.”
Yi Qiu pouted. “This mountain path isn’t easy to walk on…”
You Yan: “I’ll carry you.”
Yi Qiu: “No, no, it’s fine! I’m not an alpaca anymore, I’m much heavier…”
You Yan: “So what? If we want to leave this place, I’ll have to carry you either way.”
Yi Qiu: “Oh… I guess that makes sense.”
The moment Yi Qiu’s words fell, she was pulled into You Yan’s embrace. You Yan unfurled her wings and shot up into the forest canopy, flying forward through the cool, moonlit night sky.
At that moment, You Yan dropped all pretense of hiding her spiritual aura. Her pair of dark red wings blotted out the moonlight, and the strong winds stirred by her passage startled countless mountain spirits into scattering in terror.
Not a single one of them knew where this immensely powerful outsider had come from. For a moment, they could only flee in all directions, crying out as they searched for the goddess8 who had protected them for hundreds of years.
“It seems no one on Snake Mountain knows the Yi Bird’s secret about being weak during the full moon,” Yi Qiu said softly, nestled in You Yan’s arms.
“If it were me, I wouldn’t easily tell others my weakness either.”
“So, do you have a weakness?” Yi Qiu asked.
“Hm?” You Yan looked down at Yi Qiu, a flicker of amusement in her eyes as she asked back, “What does the novel say?”
“In the novel, the Demon Lord You Yan has no weaknesses,” Yi Qiu answered seriously.
“That’s true enough,” You Yan replied without any rebuttal, her face filled with confidence.
“You remind me of a saying,” Yi Qiu said. “A tree without bark will surely die. When a person is shameless, they are invincible under heaven.”9
You Yan smiled. “If I do have one, it would be you.”
Yi Qiu was momentarily at a loss for words. She could only lower her gaze and purse her lips, a faint glimmer flashing in her eyes.
But that girlish sentiment didn’t have long to flutter in her heart before You Yan had already carried her through the barrier the Yi Bird had set up around its lair.
Last time, You Yan had concealed her spiritual aura and entered stealthily.
This time, the instant her feet touched the ground, she drew the Snow-Blowing Long Whip10 from her waist and directly shattered the spiritual energy barrier that was being used to imprison Chao Yun.
You Yan had said before that this barrier had to be broken. Otherwise, not only could Chao Yun not get out, but staying inside it would also obstruct her own spiritual veins11, making it inconvenient to remove the seal from Chao Yun’s body.
The moment the barrier shattered, Chao Yun ran out from her bedroom, her eyes filled with utter shock.
“Who… Who are you people?”
It was another ‘face-to-face but unrecognized’ moment, but this time, no one was there to offer her any explanation.
The barrier here was broken, so the Yi Bird must have sensed it. Given how much the Yi Bird valued Chao Yun, she would surely rush over at once, no matter how unbearable her pain was. They didn’t have much time.
Before you knew it, You Yan released Yi Qiu and used a flash step to lunge forward. Her right hand shot out, intending to seize Chao Yun. Chao Yun dodged to the side on pure instinct but was thoroughly defeated within the next three moves.
With both her memories and her divine power sealed, she was completely helpless against You Yan.
In the next second, just as she had last time, You Yan quickly pressed her five fingers onto the three acupoints on top of Chao Yun’s head.
Yi Qiu subconsciously took two steps forward, only to see a dark green spiritual light surge like a tide, constantly clashing with the five-colored spiritual light emanating from Chao Yun’s body.
In that instant, the two streams of spiritual energy were locked in a stalemate around Chao Yun—one devouring, the other resisting—illuminating the dark night.
Seeing how difficult it was to break the seal, You Yan frowned. She gathered her energy and focused her mind once more, pushing her spiritual energy to its absolute limit. A shattering sound immediately echoed in all directions.
In a flash, it kicked up a spiritual wave that blasted outwards, shaking the surroundings and nearly snapping the trees and grass.
Yi Qiu instinctively closed her eyes and raised a hand to shield her head and face, but the pain she expected never came. When she opened her eyes, she saw a spiritual energy barrier had been erected in front of her, and Chao Yun had already fainted in You Yan’s arms.
You Yan frowned and said, “This seal really is connected to the Yi Bird’s heart-soul.”12
Yi Qiu stared blankly at You Yan, then at the limp Chao Yun in You Yan’s arms, and a hint of jealousy flashed through her eyes.
But she didn’t even have time to feel jealous before she heard a heart-wrenching shriek from the distance.
Looking up, the massive, sky-blotting figure was already rushing over from afar.
“The Yi Bird is coming after us!”
“It’s fine,” You Yan said, helping Chao Yun over to Yi Qiu’s side. “She’s heavily injured now. We can use this chance to leave quickly.”
Yi Qiu stepped forward to help support Chao Yun. Looking up from close range, she saw that You Yan’s face had grown even paler. Her heart ached with worry, but she didn’t know how to help.
“Do you still have the strength to break the mountain-sealing barrier?”
“The mountain-sealing barrier was cast by the Yi Bird. When she’s weak, the barrier is weak.”
After saying this, a dazzling spiritual light suddenly flared up around You Yan. When the light faded, she had already transformed into her beast form13. She lowered her eyes and gave Yi Qiu a meaningful look.
Seeing this, Yi Qiu quickly dragged Chao Yun onto the Qinyuan Bird’s back. The moment she had settled herself, they had already flown up into the star-dusted night sky.
On the Qinyuan’s back, she protected Chao Yun in front of her, but her gaze unconsciously drifted back toward the distance.
The immensely large Yi Bird was in hot pursuit behind them, but on this night with no wind or rain, she was flying so unsteadily it looked as if she might fall from the sky.
The memory seal inside Chao Yun’s body was connected to the Yi Bird’s heart-soul. The Yi Bird must be gravely injured right now.
Paying such a price, just to forcibly keep one person… is it really worth it? Does it really have any meaning?
This Yi Bird, obsessive both inside the novel and out, when would she ever understand that feelings are never a one-person affair…
The author has something to say:
I feel like I’m about to cough myself to death in front of the computer. If there’s no second update today, then I’ve probably pigeoned14.
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