Villainous Undercover (13)
Fu Xiyu was somewhat surprised.
Because she discovered that after waking up from this coma, her junior sister’s attitude towards her seemed to have changed noticeably.
It’s not that her junior sister’s attitude had become bad; on the contrary, it was precisely because her junior sister’s attitude had become too good, so good that Fu Xiyu even felt as if she were dreaming.
Fu Xiyu had always understood that her junior sister had some reservations towards her. In Fu Xiyu’s view, her junior sister’s temperament was like that of a cautious cat: seemingly a soft, white ball that anyone could knead, yet inherently possessing a kind of imperceptible detachment. Once others slightly crossed the line, she would silently reveal her claws and push people to a distance she felt safe at…
In the past, Fu Xiyu actually very much agreed with her junior sister’s personality. This way, her junior sister could protect herself well and wouldn’t be truly hurt by the filth of the world.
But these past few days, Fu Xiyu discovered that her junior sister seemed to… have shed that final layer of detachment towards her.
However, recently, her junior sister…
Fu Xiyu couldn’t quite describe what kind of feeling this was. Perhaps it was too much joy, feeling as if in a dream, so the sensation was even somewhat fearful and apprehensive.
Her junior sister began to no longer be guarded or distant towards her. She would take the initiative to feed her medicine, support her to go see scenery, and tell her many stories she had never heard before…
The story that left the deepest impression on Fu Xiyu was one her junior sister told called “The Foolish Old Man Removes the Mountains.”
At the end of the story, the Foolish Old Man moved the mountains, leading the villagers to live the peaceful and happy life they had always dreamed of. While telling this story, her junior sister looked at her several times, and finally, with a tense little face, said: “Senior Sister, during the process of moving the mountains, the Foolish Old Man must have had moments when he wanted to give up and doubted himself. He might even have thought about jumping off the cliff at some point to end this long suffering… But in the end, he persevered and achieved the desired result. This shows that as long as a person is alive, they will always overcome difficulties…”
Fu Xiyu nodded at the time. She didn’t think much about it then, only looking at her junior sister’s tense little face, feeling incredibly happy and sweet in her heart: Perhaps her junior sister hadn’t noticed, but she had spoken to her more during this period than all the previous times combined…
It wasn’t until nighttime, before going to sleep, that Fu Xiyu couldn’t help but think about this story again: She realized that her junior sister had actually told it incorrectly.
Fu Xiyu felt that the Foolish Old Man would never have had thoughts of giving up: because the Foolish Old Man only had that one idea in his mind, he simply wanted to do it. As for whether he could get the desired result in the end, it wasn’t actually important to the Foolish Old Man himself. The Foolish Old Man found joy in the process of doing this, and that was enough.
Just like herself towards her junior sister—many times when she did things for her junior sister, it was simply out of her own heart’s desire to do so, never expecting to receive anything in return from her junior sister.
But now her junior sister had given her unexpected feedback.
Fu Xiyu covered her face with the blanket, feeling somewhat uneasy, but more so suppressing her joy, restraining her upturned lips:
—She dared not hope for too much.
It was already very good now! If it continued, she feared she would not be able to control her greed, that she would not be able to resist wanting to possess and compete for her junior sister’s attention. If that happened, her junior sister would surely despise her…
In contrast to Fu Xiyu’s joy, Song Xuyi had been feeling somewhat frustrated during this period.
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She tried her utmost to guide Fu Xiyu, but it seemed to have little effect. Although Fu Xiyu would attentively listen to Song Xuyi’s words, she still appeared cold and indifferent, as if she hadn’t truly taken Song Xuyi’s words to heart…
Song Xuyi could only console herself not to be too hasty, after all, Fu Xiyu’s injuries had not yet fully healed. Once Fu Xiyu’s wounds were completely recovered, she would take her to travel the world. After seeing the sights of the world, Fu Xiyu’s mindset should change.
While caring for Fu Xiyu, Song Xuyi also began to learn Valley Master Song’s unique acupuncture technique: this technique was currently mastered completely by only two people in the world, Valley Master Song and Fu Xiyu. To regulate the chaotic true qi in Fu Xiyu’s body, one must master this technique.
Perhaps because Fu Xiyu’s repeated rejections had hurt Valley Master Song’s heart, or perhaps harboring other unknown thoughts, as in the original story’s plot outline, Valley Master Song spread the news that she intended to pass on the Medical Valley to Song Xuyi.
Song Xuyi did not refuse: her enemy was the insidious and unpredictable Lu Dun. The Medical Valley had always been benevolent and had many friends in the jianghu. If she inherited the Medical Valley, when she eventually confronted Lu Dun in the future, having the Medical Valley’s backing would increase her chances of victory.
Song Xuyi also began to plan the travel route, mapping out a journey that almost spanned the entire country, extending from the coast all the way to the inland deserts.
In her view, the longer the travel time, the better, as it would keep them away from Lu Dun’s control.
With Fu Xiyu joining them, Song Xuyi sent a message to Song Xu, telling Lu Dun to set off for Song County, and that there was no need to return to Nan County to pick her up. Everyone would meet up together in Song County later.
The reason Song Xu was supposed to come pick up Song Xuyi was out of concern for her safety while traveling alone. Now that Fu Xiyu would be accompanying her, Song Xu naturally felt at ease: after all, over the years, Song Xu had been repeatedly defeated by Fu Xiyu, and had come to genuinely admire her abilities.
In the letter, Song Xu greatly praised Fu Xiyu’s strength, and then began to compliment his Brother Gong, saying how clever and attentive Brother Gong was, and how good he was at taking care of people…
Looking at the letter, Song Xuyi thought of Song Xu’s reaction when he later found out that the female lead Gong Huan was actually a woman, and she couldn’t help but feel a sense of anticipation.
Amid Song Xuyi’s anticipation, a month later, Fu Xiyu had fully recovered from her injuries. They packed their luggage simply, borrowed two horses from the Medical Valley, and set off on their journey of exploration.
With the imperial court’s power weakened, the southern regions were in turmoil, and injustices occurred frequently. Song Xuyi felt that after experiencing so many worlds, she had become accustomed to human suffering. However, when encountering injustices, Song Xuyi found that she still couldn’t ignore them and would inevitably intervene. At such times, Fu Xiyu would become Song Xuyi’s greatest support. With Fu Xiyu around, no matter what expert Song Xuyi provoked, Fu Xiyu would effortlessly help Song Xuyi resolve the situation.
Every time she had Fu Xiyu help, Song Xuyi would feel guilty—after all, the main purpose of the trip was to help Fu Xiyu build confidence in humanity, yet she was specifically exposing her to darkness. Therefore, after having Fu Xiyu help, Song Xuyi would always feel apologetic and often treat Fu Xiyu to a delicious meal or seek out local scenic spots to take Fu Xiyu sightseeing…
With such arrangements along the way, the two of them saw many sights and, likewise, saved many people.
However, what made Song Xuyi feel frustrated was that, as they were about to reach Song County to meet up with Song Xu, while the two were enjoying tea and scenery at a waterside pavilion, Song Xuyi, thinking they had been out for almost a month, couldn’t help but probe Fu Xiyu’s state of mind—
Looking at the flowing streams outside, she said to Fu Xiyu, half-truthfully and half-jokingly: “Senior Sister, the world is truly bustling and lively, with picturesque scenery. I really wish I could spend my whole life traveling down here in the mortal world, not wanting to return to the sect.”
Fu Xiyu, however, still wore a faint smile, slowly pouring a cup of tea for Song Xuyi: “Once you’ve grown tired of the scenery outside, you’ll always have to return to the sect.”
Song Xuyi immediately felt a sense of defeat: Fu Xiyu seemed completely unmoved by the outside scenery, always maintaining a calm and indifferent appearance. Song Xuyi had no idea how to help Fu Xiyu adjust her mindset…
Song Xuyi tugged at the corners of her mouth, barely maintaining the smile on her face. Little did she know that Fu Xiyu had paused for a moment when saying those words, and after pouring the tea, she slightly lowered her head. A sentence rolled around in her mouth several times, ultimately dissolving into silence—
“After all, the scenery in the world is no different to me. Wherever junior sister is, that’s the most beautiful sight in my eyes!”
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A few days later, Song Xuyi and Fu Xiyu met Song Xu, and Gong Huan, dressed as a man behind Song Xu, widened her eyes in terror upon seeing Song Xuyi and Fu Xiyu—
All three were from the same sect, so they naturally knew each other. Gong Huan recognized Fu Xiyu, but there were too many people in the Taiji Sect. She had traveled with her father in her early years, and although Song Xuyi’s face was familiar, she didn’t know Song Xuyi’s name. Therefore, when she heard Song Xu mention that his sister would come during this time, and heard Song Xu praise his sister as if she were unparalleled in the world, Gong Huan didn’t think much of it. She didn’t expect Song Xu’s sister to be someone from the Taiji Sect.
Gong Huan’s face immediately turned pale.
Song Xuyi didn’t want to expose Gong Huan, so she secretly winked at Gong Huan to reassure her, and then tugged on Fu Xiyu’s sleeve. Fu Xiyu, being perceptive, also pretended not to know Gong Huan, allowing Song Xu to introduce them to each other.
Song Xuyi originally thought the matter would pass just like that. She didn’t want to interfere with the development of Gong Huan and Song Xu’s relationship. Perhaps Song Xu himself hadn’t realized it, but Song Xuyi had noticed: from the lengthy descriptions of Gong Huan in each of Song Xu’s letters, it was evident that Song Xu had already developed an extraordinary fondness for this ‘Brother Gong’…
However, Song Xuyi didn’t expect Gong Huan to be so thin-skinned. She looked extremely uncomfortable, keeping her head down and hurrying forward along the way, completely different from the lively and cheerful ‘Brother Gong’ described in Song Xu’s letters. Seeing Gong Huan like this, Song Xu asked several times in confusion if Gong Huan was feeling unwell…
If this continued, Gong Huan would surely be exposed.
Song Xuyi had no choice but to approach Gong Huan and actively engage her in conversation—
After knowing that Song Xuyi wouldn’t expose her, Gong Huan also relaxed. Taking advantage of Song Xu and Fu Xiyu’s inattention, Song Xuyi secretly whispered to Gong Huan: “I believe in you. In the future, you will definitely become my sister-in-law!”
In the original plot, Gong Huan had a personality that dared to love and hate, but of course, unrequited feelings would also become tiring. This time, Song Xu’s personality was much better than in the original plot outline, so Song Xuyi naturally hoped that he and Gong Huan would take fewer detours in their relationship.
Gong Huan was stunned, her face turning bright red as she lowered her head, but she didn’t deny Song Xuyi’s words.
Song Xu turned his head to look at the blushing Gong Huan, feeling somewhat strange in his heart.
He felt that he was very fond of Brother Gong and wanted to become family with him. Brother Gong was also excellent in every aspect, so Song Xu thought of introducing Brother Gong to his sister.
However, now that Brother Gong and his sister were getting along well as he had hoped, Song Xu felt something was off no matter how he thought about it. He felt sour inside and suddenly didn’t want Brother Gong to blush while facing his sister…
Song Xu couldn’t help but shake his head, shaking off the strange thoughts in his mind. He turned to look at Fu Xiyu beside him and said with a forced laugh: “Brother Gong is shy, he often blushes when chatting with me too—”
Fu Xiyu didn’t reply. Song Xu was stunned for a moment, then he saw Fu Xiyu’s cold gaze as she looked at those two…
?!
Song Xu’s heart immediately leaped — it was the first time he had seen Fu Xiyu reveal such an expression.
…Could it be that Senior Sister Fu had also taken a liking to Brother Gong?
Xuyi and Senior Sister Fu were so close, and there was only one Brother Gong. If the two of them were to fall out because of this, what should be done?
Moreover, his sister’s martial arts cultivation was still shallow, and she definitely couldn’t beat Senior Sister Fu…
For a moment, Song Xu felt a headache coming on: Brother Gong was truly a “male beauty causing trouble”!
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The author has something to say:
Xuyi: Blah blah blah, a whole lot, wanting to persuade Senior Sister to appreciate the beauty of the human world;
Xiaofu: Junior Sister talked to me so much, Junior Sister is so nice;
Xuyi: Oh no, I let Senior Sister fight, making her see the darkness of the world…
Xiaofu: Junior Sister let me accumulate reputation, Junior Sister is so nice;
Xuyi: Taking Senior Sister to see the scenery, hoping she can broaden her mind and feel happy;
Xiaofu: Junior Sister is even more beautiful than this scenery, Junior Sister is so nice!
LP: Re-translated on October 15, 2024