【Extra Chapter · Ancient IF Timeline】
The Bright Moon of Bygone Years (10)
The Liao siblings were reunited.
Only, one was still among the living, while the other had become a wisp of a wandering soul, with a cloth covering his eyes.
He was afraid of scaring his sister, so he only dared to show half his face.
The moment Liao Yueting saw him, tears instantly welled up and couldn’t be stopped.
Her perfectly fine older brother, how did he end up like this…
Liao Muchen originally had many things he wanted to say to his sister, but when he heard her start crying, and cry more and more sorrowfully, he became increasingly flustered.
He wanted to pat his sister’s hand, stroke her head, or hug her, to tell her not to cry, not to be sad.
But he was also afraid that since they were separated by life and death, such contact would diminish her lifespan and harm her instead.
He looked helplessly at Ye Zhaoqiu.
Ye Zhaoqiu, as if seeing through his thoughts, said softly, “It’s okay.”
Only then did Liao Muchen cautiously raise his hand, fumbling in mid-air, while comforting her, “Aiyo, don’t cry, isn’t your brother right here? Don’t cry.”
Fu Lianxue sat to the side, watching Liao Yueting take the initiative to grab Liao Muchen’s hand, observing their deep sibling affection, and then looked away.
She didn’t like watching human partings through life and death; seeing too much of it tended to make her nose tingle.
Sitting there idly with nothing to do, she thought for a moment and decided to take out the lotus flower brought back from East Mountain to study it.
The lotus flower was still a bud, ready to bloom, and a faint glow emanated from around it.
It seemed to be waiting for an opportune moment, an elusive moment.
Fu Lianxue examined it over and over.
Heavenly spiritual earth treasures would eventually be absorbed by their destined person and used by them.
Since she was now this destined person, how should she absorb this lotus flower?
Eat it directly?
Ye Zhaoqiu casually lifted her eyes and saw Fu Lianxue sitting in a corner, nibbling on the tip of the lotus flower.
She took one bite and immediately let go, sticking out her tongue, her brow furrowed tightly.
—Ugh, so bitter!
Fu Lianxue looked at the lotus flower in her hand in astonishment. It was indescribably bitter, so bitter she felt like throwing up.
What the heck is this, how can it be so bitter?!
It seems it can’t be eaten directly…
She then tried to secretly circulate her internal energy1, wanting to see if the flower would dissolve and be absorbed by her.
But the flower remained unmoved.
Truly an indifferent flower.
She shook her head and put the flower back into her treasure pouch2.
Forget it, I’ll study it slowly when I have time.
In this current situation, it wasn’t good for her to fuss with it too much.
She looked back at the Liao siblings, and her gaze inadvertently met Ye Zhaoqiu’s.
Obviously, Ye Zhaoqiu had been watching her all along and naturally saw her secretive fiddling.
She propped her head on her hand and raised the corners of her lips confidently—if Ye Zhaoqiu wanted to watch, then let her. It’s not like she’d lose a piece of flesh, right?
Ye Zhaoqiu said nothing, her expression didn’t even change, and she silently withdrew her gaze.
Their gazes returned to the Liao siblings.
Liao Yueting was crying very sadly, and Liao Muchen’s expression wasn’t much more relaxed.
They knew that after today, they would truly be worlds apart…
Liao Muchen couldn’t help but start giving his sister instructions: “From now on, you have to take good care of yourself. No matter how tiring things get at the bank, don’t ever forget to eat and rest. In the future, your brother… won’t be around anymore. There’ll be no one to nag you…”
Liao Yueting’s tears fell like pearls, one after another.
While sad, she didn’t feel resigned in her heart.
“On what grounds?
“What did you do wrong? Why should you have to endure all this?”
Her brother merely liked someone and did his utmost to treat that person well, that’s all. Shouldn’t that be right?
Why should he have to pay the price for Lin Lan—no, it should be Zhu Lingxiao—why should he have to pay for Zhu Lingxiao’s greed?
How can there be such logic in the world!
Liao Yueting looked at Ye Zhaoqiu and suddenly knelt. “Immortal Elder3, is there anything in this world that can bring the dead back to life? Tell me, I’ll go seek it!
“I’ll do anything, as long as I can get my brother back!”
Immortal arts are profound; even eyes can be swapped. Maybe people can be brought back to life too?
She didn’t want to give up. This was the brother she depended on for survival, her only relative in this world!
Ye Zhaoqiu’s brow furrowed tightly, and she quickly helped her up. “Proprietor Liao, there’s no need for this. Please get up quickly.”
Liao Muchen reached out, wanting to help his sister. “Xiao Yue, Xiao Yue, don’t be like this. It’s okay.”
He fumbled blankly for a moment before grasping his sister’s hand and sighed. “Xiao Yue, everything in this world is preordained. This time, it was my calamity. I couldn’t escape it. I accept my fate. As long as you weren’t harmed or implicated, that’s good enough.
“Don’t be sad either. It’s also good that your brother left early. I can go ahead and scout the path, wait for you in the next life.”
He squeezed his sister’s hand firmly, the corners of his lips curving slightly into a smile that was both relieved and comforting. “In our next life, let’s still be brother and sister.
“Your brother promises you, in the next life, I’ll definitely be smarter and stay with you longer, okay?”
His voice unknowingly choked with sobs at the end.
He too felt unwilling, but this was all he could do, powerless to change things.
This was his fate. There was nothing he could do…
Liao Yueting didn’t answer, her tears falling.
How could she answer whether it was okay or not?
She didn’t have that kind of courage; she couldn’t accept it.
Why did Old Man Heaven have to treat her brother like this? He clearly hadn’t harmed anyone…
“Aiyo, don’t cry, don’t cry…” Liao Muchen sensed the figure in his embrace trembling. He hugged his sister tightly, his heart aching, and gently patted her back, but even his own voice began to tremble uncontrollably. “Our Xiao Yue, don’t cry…”
Ye Zhaoqiu stood to the side, lips pressed together, silent.
Her heart felt as if it were being wrung, aching terribly, an indescribable pain.
Just as Liao Yueting said, Liao Muchen clearly did nothing wrong yet was harmed so grievously, losing his life for no reason. How could anyone accept that?
If it were her, she wouldn’t accept it either. She would probably, like Liao Yueting, seek something that could bring the dead back to life…
Fu Lianxue sat in the corner, silent.
She saw Ye Zhaoqiu’s tightly furrowed brow, saw the helplessness and resignation in her silence.
She knew that Ye Zhaoqiu believed most in Heaven’s will, most in letting nature take its course. But now, this Heaven’s will demanded she accept the current reality by letting nature take its course.
Truly cruel.
Fu Lianxue looked again at the siblings crying together, watching them quietly, her nose twitching slightly.
Partings in life and death in the human world, ah, they truly make one’s heart ache.
She raised her hand and gently pressed it to her heart.
There, was a flower.
After a while, she slowly began to speak, “Proprietor Liao, I have a question.”
Everyone looked at her in unison.
Liao Yueting, her eyes blurry with tears, still politely said, “Immortal Elder, please speak.”
Fu Lianxue asked, “How well is your brother’s body preserved?”
Liao Yueting said, “My brother’s cause of death was unknown, and I was unwilling to bury him hastily, so I’ve kept his body well preserved.”
Fu Lianxue nodded. “That’s good then.”
Liao Yueting paused, stunned. “What?”
Fu Lianxue stood up, her expression calm and composed.
“I have a way to bring him back to life.”
Inside the closed room stood a human and a yao; on the bed lay a corpse.
Liao Muchen’s body was neatly dressed, his features tidy, clearly having been carefully arranged.
If not for the horrifyingly empty eye sockets, he wouldn’t look much different from someone asleep.
Now, the eyes that belonged to him had been returned to their original owner.
The room was chillingly cold, the atmosphere silent.
Ye Zhaoqiu looked at Fu Lianxue and couldn’t help but ask, “Are you sure you want to do this?”
She knew what Fu Lianxue wanted to do; she just hadn’t expected Fu Lianxue would be willing to do it.
None of this had anything to do with Fu Lianxue. Even if she didn’t take this step, no one would blame her.
Fu Lianxue said with a relaxed expression, “Of course. Anyway, it’s just plucking off a petal to give him. It’s not like I’ll die.”
“But then your flower won’t be complete. Can it still be your second life?”
“Mm… indeed, not before the flower fully regrows.”
“You’ll protect me, right?”
Ye Zhaoqiu suddenly heard her ask this.
Their eyes met.
Fu Lianxue looked into Ye Zhaoqiu’s eyes and, for no apparent reason, said expectantly, “You’ll protect me until my flower regrows properly, right?”
She didn’t want to be the yao or evil spirit Ye Zhaoqiu spoke of.
They should be friends, very good friends who can protect each other.
Would Ye Zhaoqiu… think so too?
As soon as Fu Lianxue finished speaking, she felt it was pointless.
Forget it, she could guess Ye Zhaoqiu’s answer.
How could someone who considered subduing demons and eliminating devils her duty protect a yao?
She waved her hand, just about to say “forget it,” when she heard Ye Zhaoqiu’s voice by her ear:
“I will.”
A very serious voice, like a solemn promise.
“I will protect you, for as long as it takes.”
Fu Lianxue’s eyes suddenly lit up, like stars twinkling in the night. “Really?!”
Seeing her so happy, Ye Zhaoqiu actually felt a little happy herself, but her face remained serious. “Mm, really.”
Fu Lianxue was happy.
Ye Zhaoqiu always kept her word. As a yao who understood her well, this promise was enough.
—Ye Zhaoqiu wouldn’t kill her as a yao or evil spirit!
Liao Muchen was brought back to life.
Apart from faint scars around his eyes, he was no different from an ordinary person.
He could jump and run, eat and drink, breathe, and his palms were warm.
He was alive again, once more.
This was the miracle bestowed upon him by Fu Lianxue.
Liao Muchen and Liao Yueting both knelt before Fu Lianxue, so excited they didn’t know what to do.
“Immortal, you truly are an Immortal!” Liao Muchen said excitedly. “Thank you, Immortal, for saving me! I will definitely worship you properly in the future!”
Fu Lianxue shrugged her shoulders, not quite used to others praising her like this.
She and Ye Zhaoqiu helped the two up.
“You don’t really need to call me that,” she said. “I just need you to keep the matter of me saving your life a secret, hidden in your hearts forever, and not tell anyone else.”
If people knew that a Meiyao had this ability, she wouldn’t have any peaceful days.
Liao Muchen and Liao Yueting repeatedly agreed.
The Immortal must have her reasons for doing this, and they weren’t the type to go around publicizing things.
Liao Yueting said, “If anyone asks, I’ll tell them it was a divine miracle obtained through praying and burning incense to Buddha.”
A miracle is only called a miracle because it’s rare and uncommon.
The Immortal was willing to help them; it was their family’s good fortune. What could others say or demand?
“Clever,” Fu Lianxue praised.
Just then, a faint sound came from the window.
Everyone looked up and saw a squirrel suddenly appear by the window.
A squirrel that Ye Zhaoqiu and Fu Lianxue found very familiar.
“Isn’t this the squirrel that led us here?” Fu Lianxue asked again.
Hearing this, Liao Muchen tentatively reached out his hand. “Xiao squirrel, come.”
The little squirrel twitched its nose, looked at them silently, and after a moment, it actually ran towards him and voluntarily nuzzled his palm.
Liao Muchen’s face lit up with joy. “It really is you.”
Fu Lianxue nodded.
Mm, she hadn’t mistaken it this time.
Liao Muchen cupped the squirrel in his hands and happily told his sister about how the squirrel had kept him company in the mountains.
Liao Yueting listened, exclaiming in amazement repeatedly.
East Mountain has spirits; it’s truly extraordinary!
Ye Zhaoqiu and Fu Lianxue stood to the side watching, not disturbing the pleasant atmosphere.
After watching for a while, Ye Zhaoqiu’s arm was suddenly poked.
She turned to look at Fu Lianxue and heard her say softly, “You said you’d protect me, don’t forget, okay?”
She nodded seriously. “Don’t worry, I won’t forget.”
Fu Lianxue couldn’t help but look at her a couple more times.
Actually, thinking about it, getting a yao-catching disciple to so seriously promise to protect a yao… was quite strange.
Who could have guessed that when they first met, Ye Zhaoqiu was holding a sword, about to capture her?
“But how did you agree to protect me so easily? When we first met, you were still going to capture me,” she nudged Ye Zhaoqiu with her elbow again, a cheeky expression on her face. “You haven’t… fallen for me, have you?”
Ye Zhaoqiu: “…”
How could she possibly like her?
Didn’t she agree to protect her because she did a good deed, so she felt she was worth protecting?
Like? How could it possibly be like?
She was wholeheartedly devoted to the Dao; how could she possibly develop romantic feelings?
Therefore, her reply was:
“Absurd.”
She wouldn’t like anyone, and she wouldn’t like her, absolutely.
Fu Lianxue hmphed.
What a blockhead!
She turned her face away, lowered her head to fiddle with her treasure pouch, and casually opened it for a look.
She froze.
There was something new in the pouch—a precious orb.
The precious orb lay quietly beside her lotus flower.
Even more magically, the lotus flower, which had still been a bud ready to bloom, had blossomed at some unknown time.
And this precious orb looked as if it had been produced by the lotus flower.
Could it be… her opportune moment had arrived?
The author has something to say:
In this chapter, Xiao Fu is like a student spacing out in class, and Xiao Chu is like the class monitor who has an unacknowledged crush and occasionally sneaks glances at her (x)
Haha, the main point of the ‘if’ timeline is about to arrive!
Truly didn’t expect the ancient arc to reach ten chapters and still not be finished.
I’m so terrifying…
JX34 is having a crossover with Kairosoft5 and Luo Xiaohei6.
It’s slashing my main artery7, damn it!
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