Ha, Karma! – Chapter 112

【Extra Chapter · Ancient IF Timeline】

The Bright Moon of Bygone Years (14)

Fu Lianxue struggled with it for a while, then decided not to think about it anymore.

This wasn’t something she should be getting hung up on. She couldn’t even explain why she was suddenly so conflicted about it.

She was the one who didn’t like Ye Zhaoqiu, so wasn’t Ye Zhaoqiu allowed to give up on her?

Since they were friends, she should want what was best for Ye Zhaoqiu and support her in letting go of her, no matter what method she used.

Although she was a little unhappy, this bit of inexplicable unhappiness could be ignored!

She hugged her pillow, her face full of gloom.

Ye Zhaoqiu could ignore her unhappiness, but she herself couldn’t.

It was really strange. How had she become like this?

Bai Shutong had gone back.

Ye Zhaoqiu knocked on Fu Lianxue’s door. “Lianxue, we can go out now.”

Fu Lianxue opened the door and looked left and right. “She left?”

“Miss Bai?” Ye Zhaoqiu said. “Mm, she went back.”

Fu Lianxue: “Oh.”

Only then did she close the door and go out with Ye Zhaoqiu to have some fun.

Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t very good today.

Dark clouds gathered, and a gentle breeze blew, as if it might pour rain at any moment.

But it didn’t matter. As long as it wasn’t raining yet, Fu Lianxue was ready to play.

She pulled Ye Zhaoqiu along to buy many little trinkets.

She said these things would make Ye Zhaoqiu’s room look very lively and much cuter.

Ye Zhaoqiu didn’t argue and followed behind, paying for everything.

Since Fu Lianxue was buying these things for her, with her in mind, Ye Zhaoqiu was naturally pleased.

She liked seeing that Fu Lianxue had her in her heart.

When they were tired and hungry from playing, they went to eat at the restaurant recommended by Liao Yueting.

They chose a good spot by the window on the second floor, where they could eat and enjoy the scenery.

The owner came up and told them that Liao Yueting had already made arrangements: no matter how much they ate or spent, it would all be put on Boss Liao’s tab—truly generous.

Hearing this, Ye Zhaoqiu felt rather embarrassed. “There’s no need for that. Please tell Boss Liao that we appreciate her kind intentions.”

The restaurant owner quickly said, “Hey, it’s necessary, it’s necessary! You two esteemed cultivators helped the Liao family so much, your merit is immeasurable. Just let Boss Liao treat you this once.”

Fu Lianxue didn’t say anything.

She didn’t like dealing with these social pleasantries and always left them to Ye Zhaoqiu.

She just sat beside them, cupping her cheeks, listening and watching—watching Ye Zhaoqiu.

Ye Zhaoqiu had an extraordinary bearing, a graceful demeanor, and her every move was natural and poised.

She was also very beautiful, with skin like ice and bones like jade¹, possessing a cool, aloof, and otherworldly beauty.

Her lips, as they opened and closed, were naturally red without any makeup, full and beautifully shaped.

Fu Lianxue’s gaze unconsciously fell upon Ye Zhaoqiu’s lips.

Her eyes held a trace of surprise, as if she were noticing them for the first time.

The color of her lips was rosy, their shape perfect, like sweet fruit hanging on a branch, tempting and desirable.

So Ye Zhaoqiu’s lips were this beautiful…

She had clearly kissed them before, so how had she never noticed?

Thinking of this, she felt a tickle deep inside. Inexplicably, she suddenly really wanted to kiss Ye Zhaoqiu, to bite those beautiful lips.

But they were friends.

How could friends do that? Wouldn’t that be crossing a line?

Suddenly, those lips turned towards her, and a pleasant voice drifted from between them:

“Lianxue.”

Fu Lianxue snapped back to reality, her eyes shifting slightly upwards, stopping before those beautiful, questioning eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“What are you looking at?” Ye Zhaoqiu asked. “You seemed lost in thought.”

Fu Lianxue took a deep breath and casually looked away. “Nothing.”

“Isn’t Miss Bai coming to look for you?” she suddenly blurted out.

“Why would Miss Bai come looking for me?” Ye Zhaoqiu didn’t understand.

“Because she’s been coming to find you every day these past few days, several times a day.”

“She won’t. She already finished asking her questions just now. She can go home and figure out the rest on her own.”

“Oh…”

Fu Lianxue looked out at the sky again and fell silent.

Ye Zhaoqiu refilled her teacup, placed it gently in front of her, and looking at her, also felt it was strange.

She didn’t know if it was her imagination, but Fu Lianxue didn’t seem to like Bai Shutong.

“Lianxue.”

Fu Lianxue turned to look at her.

“Do you not like Miss Bai?”

“Why wouldn’t I like her?”

“I don’t know. It’s just that I feel you haven’t been in high spirits when she’s been around these past few days.”

You either turn and walk away, or you lie listlessly to the side.

She never joins their conversations, nor does she ever initiate a conversation with Bai Shutong.

She’s too distant with Bai Shutong.

Hearing this, Fu Lianxue shrugged, saying nonchalantly, “She comes looking for you, not me. Why should I be enthusiastic?”

“Besides, if I were interested in her, wouldn’t that be very strange?”

Ye Zhaoqiu thought for a moment; that made sense.

If Fu Lianxue were interested in other women but indifferent to her, with whom she spent day and night, wouldn’t that be a blow to her?

The topic of Bai Shutong ended there.

Fu Lianxue turned her head again to look at the sky outside. It was gloomy, as if even Old Man Heaven wasn’t very happy.

“It’s going to rain,” she said softly.

After nightfall, Yunshui Town truly welcomed the rain.

It fell copiously, with occasional claps of thunder, as if it intended to pour aggressively all night long.

The lights in the room were already out, and the windows and door were tightly shut.

Fu Lianxue stayed in her bed. When the first clap of thunder sounded, her body trembled.

She was scared.

Then, she gently lifted the blanket and peeked out, looking towards the wall that separated her from Ye Zhaoqiu.

Outside, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled, and the rain poured heavily.

Tonight, she still didn’t want to sleep alone.

In the other guest room.

Ye Zhaoqiu was unhurriedly taking off her robes and hanging them up, returning to her bed to rest.

She had just sat on the bed, not yet having time to lie down, when she watched as a demon appeared in her room.

This demon was hugging her own pillow, her dark hair cascading over her shoulders, a sly glint hidden in her bright, dark eyes. Without a word, she took off her shoes and got onto her bed.

At that moment, a loud clap of thunder sounded outside.

When she came to her senses again, the demon had already been scared by the thunder and burrowed into her arms.

She didn’t move.

Nor did she chase her away.

“What are you doing?”

Fu Lianxue said, “It’s thundering. I’m scared.”

Ye Zhaoqiu frowned. “I don’t remember you being afraid of thunder on Wenxuan Peak before?”

Fu Lianxue: “I’m scared of thunder down the mountain, not the thunder on Wenxuan Peak.”

Ye Zhaoqiu: “…?”

Is there a difference between the two?

“Lianxue.”

“Alright, alright, I just don’t want to sleep alone today.”

“It’s windy, rainy, and thundering outside. I just don’t want to be by myself…”

She looked up, her dark eyes holding a starlike sparkle, lively, enchanting, and pitifully charming.

“Are you unwilling to take me in?”

With just one look, Ye Zhaoqiu’s heart felt as if it had been struck, suddenly beating a few paces faster.

Her heart was thrown into disarray by her again.

“Do you really just not want to be alone?”

“Really…”

“Alright then, you can stay.”

“Really?!”

Fu Lianxue got up delightedly. Before even getting a definitive answer, she had already proactively climbed further into the bed, lay down, and eagerly patted the pillow beside her, warmly inviting Ye Zhaoqiu to lie down too.

Ye Zhaoqiu sighed helplessly in her heart and gave her half of the blanket.

After many days, they were sleeping in the same bed again.

“You have to sleep obediently and not do anything else,” Ye Zhaoqiu first laid down a few rules with her.

“What could I possibly do?” Fu Lianxue asked, her face full of innocence.

“…” Ye Zhaoqiu was suddenly at a loss for words.

Finally, she said, as if compromising, “Anyway, just sleep well.”

Fu Lianxue’s eyes curved into a smile.

The candlelight in the room hadn’t yet been extinguished, and the lightning outside was as bright as day.

Fu Lianxue watched Ye Zhaoqiu, who was veiled in the flickering light, only the tip of her ear continuously and gently illuminated by the light, never fading.

Her gaze was drawn there, from the tip of the ear to the tip of the nose, finally landing on the lips that had captured her attention earlier today.

“Ye Zhaoqiu, has anyone ever told you something?”

“What?”

“Your lips are very beautiful.”

This sudden compliment made Ye Zhaoqiu pause.

Then she saw Fu Lianxue carefully approach her and ask very, very softly, “Can I kiss you?”

The abrupt teasing caught Ye Zhaoqiu completely off guard.

An advance from someone you like is the greatest temptation in this world.

But she couldn’t do this.

“Lianxue, we’re friends.”

Hearing this, Fu Lianxue blinked. “Don’t you humans have friends who kiss each other?”

Ye Zhaoqiu: “…”

Ye Zhaoqiu: “No.”

“Then can’t we be the exception?”

“Can’t we?”

“No.”

After Ye Zhaoqiu finished speaking, she suddenly sat up, her expression serious and troubled. “Lianxue, it’s not good for you to do this.”

Fu Lianxue also sat up and asked, “What’s not good about it?”

Ye Zhaoqiu said, “We are friends. You should keep your distance from me, help me let go of you, not tempt me further.”

She approached step by step, invading her world bit by bit. How could this help her let go of her?

Could this also be a test from the heavens?

“Keep our distance?” Fu Lianxue looked at her and said, “We’re already sharing a bed. How can we keep our distance?”

This retort left Ye Zhaoqiu speechless.

Yes, wasn’t she the one who agreed to let her stay here tonight?

How could she, who couldn’t even maintain distance herself, ask the other to maintain distance?

Ye Zhaoqiu frowned and looked away.

“At least… don’t say things like what you just said.”

Don’t talk about kissing her, don’t tease her.

These actions were truly cruel to someone who liked her but couldn’t win her heart.

Fu Lianxue had long forgotten what this “sense of distance” between them was.

But seeing Ye Zhaoqiu reject her, she somehow suddenly thought of Bai Shutong, and her chest instantly tightened with frustration, making her feel she had to get it all out. Words poured out one after another, and Ye Zhaoqiu couldn’t get a word in at all.

“It was okay before, so why not now? If I can’t, then who can? Bai Shutong?”

“Ye Zhaoqiu, are you really going to like her just to get over me?”

“Fine, fine! So you really have developed feelings for her these past few days! From now on, only she is allowed to get close to you, kiss you, and do anything, right?”

“Then don’t mind me anymore! Take her back to Wenxuan Peak and let her be your Dao companion!”

She no longer knew what she was saying.

Her mind was still muddled, but the words had already tumbled out of her mouth like a swarm of bees.

By the end, she had even managed to make herself feel wronged.

Both wronged and angry.

“Ye Zhaoqiu, how could you go and like someone else so quickly!”

After speaking, she huffed heavily, turned away to sulk, and didn’t want to see Ye Zhaoqiu anymore.

This reckless outburst of hers was both logical and illogical.

To be honest, she didn’t know what she was doing either.

She only knew she was very unhappy right now, and thinking about Bai Shutong and Ye Zhaoqiu spending time alone together made her even more unhappy.

It felt like… like her treasure had been snatched away, like her most precious treasure had abandoned her…

Immersed in anger and grievance, she was completely unaware of her own feelings.

It was very quiet behind her. The sound of the wind and rain seemed to have been sucked away in an instant, making it strangely silent.

She didn’t know how much time had passed—perhaps not long at all, but it felt like a very long time to her—when a slight sound finally came from behind her.

It was the rustling sound of fabric rubbing.

It was a gentle hug from behind.

When she was suddenly hugged, Fu Lianxue was stunned for a moment.

Ye Zhaoqiu had always been reserved and introverted, rarely so proactive.

She remembered she was still angry and was about to retort on the “keeping distance” point when Ye Zhaoqiu’s voice fell beside her ear:

“I think I know why you don’t like Miss Bai.”

Fu Lianxue heard surprise and a hint of happiness in her voice, and immediately found it baffling.

“What are you smiling about? You’re happy because I don’t like her?”

Ye Zhaoqiu’s voice suddenly became very gentle by her ear. “Because you’re jealous for me, so I’m happy.”

Fu Lianxue was stunned.

Ye Zhaoqiu slowly tightened her embrace. “Lianxue, you have me in your heart.”

She wasn’t the only one who was in love but didn’t understand her own feelings, was she?

Fu Lianxue was clearly the same.

Otherwise, why would Fu Lianxue be unhappy because she was close to Bai Shutong, and even think she had fallen for Bai Shutong, feeling wronged and angry about it?

If she didn’t like her, why would she care?

It had never been one-sided affection between them; they were kindred spirits, and always had been.

Fu Lianxue was dazed.

She was jealous?

She liked Ye Zhaoqiu?

Huh?!

“How do you know I like you?”

“If you didn’t like me, why would you care if I liked Miss Bai, or if I would become Dao companions with her? And why would you be close to me, and not to others?”

“Oh, that makes sense…”

Fu Lianxue agreed in a muddle, her mind already a chaotic mess.

Right, if she didn’t like Ye Zhaoqiu, why would she care about these things?

It was precisely because she liked her that she wanted to kiss her, that she minded her being so close to Bai Shutong—she really did like Ye Zhaoqiu.

She turned to look at Ye Zhaoqiu, opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. After a long while, she finally said softly, “So… you really don’t like Bai Shutong, huh?”

Ye Zhaoqiu nodded firmly. “Mm.”

Fu Lianxue: “And you won’t become Dao companions with her?”

Ye Zhaoqiu: “No, I won’t. My relationship with Miss Bai is completely innocent; it’s not that kind of relationship. Don’t misunderstand.”

Fu Lianxue’s expression softened slightly.

Ye Zhaoqiu took her hand, saying proactively for the first time, “Lianxue, I only like you. That has never changed.”

Liao Yueting was right. There must be a reason why the Taxian Sect didn’t restrict its disciples’ romantic affairs. Why should she make things difficult for herself?

Even if one was human and the other a demon, as long as their hearts aimed for the same place, they could reach the same destination despite different paths.

Listening to her words, Fu Lianxue looked down at their clasped hands, and the grievance and resentment in her heart instantly vanished without a trace.

Ye Zhaoqiu said she liked her, only her.

That’s great…

But the next moment, Ye Zhaoqiu saw her sprawled on the quilt, wailing.

“This isn’t right! I clearly came to seduce you, how did I end up getting myself caught too! I’m so useless! I’ve disgraced the Meiyao! I’m the dumbest Meiyao in the entire clan, wuwuwu…”

She pounded the quilt in frustration, as if wishing iron could turn into steel².

That precious pearl was probably a gift from Old Man Heaven because he pitied how stupid she was.

It’s simply a disgrace to all demons!!!

Ye Zhaoqiu was stunned for a moment, then couldn’t help but curve her lips into a smile. She leaned over and comforted her softly, “No, you’re not. I think you’re the most amazing one among all the Meiyao. Other Meiyao can never compare to you.”

After hearing her words, Fu Lianxue turned her head to look at her. “Really?”

Ye Zhaoqiu nodded. “Mm, really.”

Fu Lianxue immediately stopped wailing and quickly sat up, accepting it. “You’ve always been honest and never lie. I believe you.”

She could switch moods with such ease.

Ye Zhaoqiu couldn’t help but laugh.

Still very easy to coax.

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