Ha, Karma! – Chapter 110

【Extra Chapter · Ancient IF Timeline】

The Bright Moon of Bygone Years (12)

Fu Lianxue was overjoyed.

It turned out Ye Zhaoqiu really didn’t like Ji Hanyan; it turned out Ye Zhaoqiu only felt sisterly affection for Ji Hanyan.

Ye Zhaoqiu liked her, Ye Zhaoqiu really liked her!

She had swayed her Dao heart, she had succeeded in seducing her, she was amazing!

The joys and sorrows of demons and humans are not shared, and Ye Zhaoqiu only found it absurd.

She was wholeheartedly devoted to the Dao, aiming only for godhood. How could she develop romantic feelings¹ and be entangled by the worldly seven emotions and six desires?

Absurd, simply absurd! Fu Lianxue must be playing tricks on her again!

She avoided Fu Lianxue’s sparkling gaze and turned to get off the bed. “Nonsense.”

Seeing her so flustered, Fu Lianxue was even more delighted.

When she’s flustered, she doesn’t act like a block of wood; she’s even a little cute.

She smiled and teased the flustered person, “How is it nonsense? This is a sign of my cultivation technique’s improvement. It’s a scent I detected with my own skill.”

With that, she took a light sniff, her face beaming. “Mm~ It smells so good.”

Ye Zhaoqiu: “You smelled wrong.”

“Nope.”

“Wrong.”

“Not wrong.”

“Wrong.”

Fu Lianxue’s expression sharpened. She flashed in front of her, staring intently into her eyes. “What, are you afraid of liking me?”

Hearing this, Ye Zhaoqiu turned her head to look at her.

Her eyes were still as bright as stars, expectantly awaiting her answer, making it impossible to discern her true intentions.

Was she preparing to laugh at her?

At this thought, a wave of irritation washed over Ye Zhaoqiu, and she once again avoided her gaze.

“I’m not afraid. You’re mistaken. I don’t like you.”

Ye Zhaoqiu still said the same thing.

She seemed not to know what to do, only repeatedly denying it, utterly clumsy.

She lifted her foot, walked around Fu Lianxue, and went straight to the window.

It seemed she wanted to escape, to leave, but then she suddenly stood at the window in silence.

She wanted to go, to return to the Taxian Sect.

She didn’t know what to do about this, how to deal with such an absurd situation, and even less how to look Fu Lianxue in the eyes.

She just wanted to leave, to get away from here. As long as she couldn’t see Fu Lianxue, it would be fine.

But as she stood at the window, about to ride her sword² and depart, her thoughts were still, still on Fu Lianxue.

If she abandoned Fu Lianxue and returned to the Taxian Sect first, how would Fu Lianxue get back to the Taxian Sect on her own?

The moment this question popped into her head, it dealt her a considerable blow.

She bit her lip tightly, her hands clenched into fists.

After a moment, she left with a “Don’t follow me,” and then flew away from the window.

Fu Lianxue watched her leave and truly stayed put, not moving.

Liao Yueting stepped out, carrying a food container.

Inside the food container were pastries meticulously made by her family’s cook. She was planning to invite the two Young Immortals to try them, to thank them for helping avenge her brother and bringing him back to life.

Passing by the riverside pavilion, she glanced inside unintentionally, her steps halting. She called out softly, “Young Immortal?”

The young woman in the pavilion turned her head at the sound.

Black robe, white clothes, unparalleled beauty.

But this beautiful face was now covered with a cloud of sorrow, clearly looking unhappy.

“Proprietor Liao,” Ye Zhaoqiu replied politely.

Liao Yueting slightly lifted her skirt and walked into the pavilion, asking with concern, “You don’t seem very happy. What happened?”

Ye Zhaoqiu: “…”

Liking a demon—any demon-hunting disciple would probably find it hard to be happy about that.

But it wasn’t easy to talk about. Fu Lianxue’s identity couldn’t be easily revealed to others.

She said lightly, “It’s nothing.”

Then she politely asked, “Where are you going, Proprietor Liao?”

Liao Yueting then smiled, “Oh, I had my family’s cook make some food, and I wanted to invite you both to try it. My elder brother isn’t able to go out for now, so I came alone.”

Ye Zhaoqiu understood and nodded lightly. “Thank you for your trouble, Proprietor Liao. She should be at the inn now. You can take it to her.”

But Liao Yueting didn’t move upon hearing this.

She looked Ye Zhaoqiu up and down, then gently put down the food container and said, “Forgive my bluntness, but did you two… have a fight?”

Ye Zhaoqiu paused, a look of confusion on her face, wondering how she had guessed.

Liao Yueting smiled and explained, “Because I’ve always seen you two traveling together before. Today is the first time I’ve seen you alone.”

Ye Zhaoqiu: “…”

Always traveling together…

She again remembered Fu Lianxue saying she liked her.

Why did it seem like everything was reminding her that she liked Fu Lianxue? Was this also fate?

Seeing her suddenly become even more silent, Liao Yueting smiled warmly. “If you don’t mind, would you like to tell me about it?”

In her eyes, Fu Lianxue and Ye Zhaoqiu were powerful figures from the cultivation world, and also younger sisters who looked younger than her.

They had helped her Liao family so much; it was natural for her to want to care about them.

Ye Zhaoqiu turned to look at her smiling face, her beautiful eyes brimming with warmth. For some reason, she suddenly thought of her own senior martial sister.

When Ji Hanyan cared for her, she was just this gentle.

Liao Yueting was indeed like Ji Hanyan; she deserved to be called “elder sister” by her.

When she had troubles, she would always confide in Ji Hanyan.

But Ji Hanyan wasn’t here now. Even if she were, she wouldn’t know how to tell her that there was a demon in her heart.

How could she do such a thing?

She was clearly devoted to the Dao, not concerned with matters of love…

“Forgive my directness, Young Immortal,” Liao Yueting said straightforwardly, “your current state is very similar to when my elder brother discovered he was a cut-sleeve³.”

Ye Zhaoqiu was taken aback.

Such keen observation skills.

She hastily turned her face away. “I’m not.”

A very weak denial.

Liao Yueting immediately understood.

No wonder they always appeared in pairs. So that was it… But it was nothing. Loving or not loving, loving whomever—isn’t it all love?

With her brother’s example, she was now quite accepting.

Seeing Ye Zhaoqiu struggling and worried, she smiled gently, turned her head to look at the river, and said softly, “Although my elder brother is open-minded and optimistic, able to see the bright side of everything, he is still human. He has the seven emotions and six desires and will also struggle.

“When he discovered he liked someone of the same sex, he doubted, hesitated, and was also deeply uneasy.”

As if finding a fellow sufferer, Ye Zhaoqiu unconsciously looked at Liao Yueting.

Liao Yueting turned her head to meet her gaze, speaking softly and slowly, making one feel very comfortable.

“He doubted whether he had truly fallen in love, whether he should love this person.

“He was uneasy about whether his affection would come to nothing, whether he would be rejected, without even a chance to confess.

“He even feared that one day he would watch the person he loved fall for someone else, while he could only stand aside and offer good wishes.

“Young Immortal, which stage are you at now?”

Ye Zhaoqiu pressed her lips together, still silent.

She was currently stuck in the denial stage.

Liao Yueting tried another way of asking, “Does your Taxian Sect forbid disciples from falling in love?”

Ye Zhaoqiu gently shook her head.

The Taxian Sect never had such a rule.

Moreover, some of their elders even had Dao companions. If they couldn’t lead by example, how could they restrain their disciples?

But the elders’ Dao companions were human, while the one she liked… was a demon.

Liao Yueting’s curiosity was piqued. “Then what are you struggling with? Because she is also a woman, like you?”

Ye Zhaoqiu thought for a moment, then shook her head again.

She had never thought about matters between men and women; it had nothing to do with Fu Lianxue’s gender.

What she doubted was her own Dao.

She thought she was devoted to the Dao, but she didn’t know when her heart had been moved.

It turned out her Dao heart wasn’t as resilient as she had thought.

She opened her mouth and finally spoke, “Her path and mine are different.”

One was human, the other a demon. How could they be the same?

As her voice fell, she heard someone beside her say, “So what?”

“Your paths are different, but didn’t you still become friends and come to our Yunshui Town together?

“Your paths are different, but didn’t you still investigate my elder brother’s murderer together, explore East Mountain together, avenge my elder brother, and help him return to life?

“So, in my eyes, you are people on the same path, because you are both kind.”

She believed there wasn’t just one “Dao” to follow in this world.

So what if their paths were different? Goodness would eventually lead them to the same destination, though by different routes.

Listening to Liao Yueting’s words, Ye Zhaoqiu blinked her eyes gently.

“Since your sect doesn’t forbid disciples from falling in love, there must be a reason for it. Why must you make things difficult for yourself and insist on being like those gods and Buddhas with a pure heart and few desires?”

Liao Yueting smiled and placed the food container in her hands.

“Young Immortal, the ‘Dao’ may be under your feet, or perhaps elsewhere. Occasionally, listen more to your heart. Isn’t the heart also very important for you cultivators?”

Ye Zhaoqiu looked down at the food container in her hands, remaining silent.

The heart… is very important.

Ye Zhaoqiu bid farewell to Liao Yueting and returned to the inn.

Carrying the food container in one hand and slightly lifting her robe with the other, she walked upstairs, her mind already unconsciously rehearsing the scene after entering the room.

After going in and seeing Fu Lianxue, what should she say?

Say that Proprietor Liao sent this, and she brought it back for her to try?

And then? Then say they should live separately and both calm down?

No, what did Fu Lianxue need to calm down about? She was the only one not calm in this matter.

How could she possibly like Fu Lianxue?

Calming down and thinking about it, this matter was still a huge shock to her, as if God was playing a joke on her.

Reaching the door, she lowered her robe and took a few breaths.

In her more than ten years of life, this was the first time she had felt so awkward and uneasy.

But she had to face it eventually, and listen to what her heart wanted to do.

To know the difficulty and not retreat is also a form of training.

She raised her hand to knock, then pushed the door open and entered, her hand unconsciously tightening its grip on the food container.

Just as she was about to speak, a scene leaped into her eyes that made her suddenly forget her words—

Fu Lianxue was slumped over the table, her eyes tightly closed.

Beside her was a lotus flower pastry that she hadn’t finished eating.

“Lianxue!”

Ye Zhaoqiu’s mind buzzed. She hurried towards Fu Lianxue, put down what she was holding, and took her into her arms to check her.

There wasn’t a single wound on her body, and no signs of a fight in the room. Could it be the power of the pearl tormenting her again??

“Lianxue? Lianxue, wake up! Can you still hear me?”

Fu Lianxue didn’t respond.

Ye Zhaoqiu’s expression instantly tensed, her heart pounding in panic.

She felt Fu Lianxue’s pulse, checked her breathing, no longer caring about liking or not liking. Right now, she only wanted her to wake up.

She just wanted her to be safe and sound.

She raised her fingers to form a seal, preparing to infuse spiritual energy into her.

If that still didn’t work, she would have to take her back and beg her Master, Elder Tianxuan, to save her.

But just as she raised her hand, it was grabbed.

She looked down and saw the demon in her arms, her eyes sparkling, smiling brightly at her.

She was stunned for a moment, displeasure evident in her eyes. “Fu Lianxue, you tricked me.”

But Fu Lianxue wasn’t scared at all. Instead, she gripped the hand Ye Zhaoqiu tried to pull back even tighter. “I’m not tricking you; I’m helping you see your heart clearly.”

Saying this, she curved her lips into a smile, both smug and beautiful. “Ye Zhaoqiu, you were worried about me. You really do like me!”

“I don’t.”

“You don’t? Then what do all the things you’ve done for me count as?”

If you don’t like me, why did you buy me lotus flower pastries?

If you don’t like me, why were you so worried about whether I lived or died?

If you don’t like me, why did you stay with me, hold me, and let me sleep soundly when I was feeling unwell?

You even brought me back to Wenxuan Peak, and you even asked for Blue Star flower for me… There’s too much; the good things you’ve done for me are countless.

You just like me, you like me very, very much!

“Don’t deny it anymore!” Fu Lianxue stood up and said, “You have to listen to your Master and be an honest person~”

Ye Zhaoqiu: “…”

Hard to refute.

She had indeed been very nervous just now.

Afraid that Fu Lianxue was suffering, afraid that something had happened to Fu Lianxue, afraid that some misfortune had befallen her while she was away.

Just a moment ago, she even regretted why she had abandoned her and run off.

Fortunately, she was fine.

And she… did indeed like her.

She couldn’t escape it.

Ye Zhaoqiu didn’t know how to face Fu Lianxue. She simply let go of her and stood up to leave, but Fu Lianxue wrapped her arms around her waist, holding her tight.

She wouldn’t let her go.

“Where are you going? Are you going to leave me alone again?”

A very pitiful sentence.

It left Ye Zhaoqiu speechless.

But she herself didn’t know the answer.

She didn’t know where to go either; she just didn’t know what to do right now.

But she didn’t want to leave her behind either.

Seeing her silent, Fu Lianxue smiled and said, “Are you shy?

“No need to be shy. What’s there to be shy about liking me?

“I’m so charming, it’s understandable that your mortal heart was moved~”

Her words, however, made Ye Zhaoqiu even more silent.

After a long while, she finally heard Ye Zhaoqiu ask, “What about you?”

“What?”

“You’re so close to me, following me everywhere. What for?”

“What for? Of course, it’s to sway your Dao heart!”

Fu Lianxue said it as if it were perfectly natural.

She had this goal from the moment she first saw her.

She was a meiyao; she wanted to tempt cultivators, to prove herself. What was so hard to understand?

Now she had succeeded, and it could be said she was very successful.

She was so amazing!

Then, a sentence fell beside her ear: “Is that all?”

She subconsciously raised her head to meet Ye Zhaoqiu’s gaze.

Ye Zhaoqiu looked at her intently. “Do you really only want to sway my Dao heart? You don’t have any other thoughts?”

Like being with her for a long time;

Like cultivating together with her;

Like… liking her.

Ye Zhaoqiu didn’t know what she was doing.

Her heart was no longer under her control, yearning for an answer.

She had probably reached the stage of unease.

After hearing her question, Fu Lianxue was silent for a long time, then said:

“No.”

Ye Zhaoqiu was an unromantic block of wood. How could she like this block of wood?

No way, she didn’t like her.

Everything she did to her was just to corrupt her Dao heart, to prove herself.

Yes, she didn’t like her.

After she finished speaking, the room instantly fell into dead silence.

After a while, Ye Zhaoqiu removed the hands Fu Lianxue had wrapped around her and said lightly, “The food container has pastries prepared by Proprietor Liao. Eat them if you’re hungry.”

Then she turned and walked towards the door.

Fu Lianxue immediately asked, “Where are you going?”

Without turning her head, Ye Zhaoqiu replied in a very calm tone, “To ask the innkeeper to open another guest room.”

Fu Lianxue: “?”

She saw dejection in Ye Zhaoqiu’s retreating figure.

She turned back to look at the food container on the table, and the unfinished bag of lotus flower pastries. For some reason, she also became unhappy.

She seemed to dislike seeing her unhappy…

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The author has something to say:

The young couple’s having a tiff and sleeping in separate rooms now.

The great demon Fu, a thousand years later: Back then, I knew f#ck all about feelings!

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