Volume 4: Immeasurable
To Ao’an Once More.
After hearing You Yan’s words, Yi Qiu felt like she’d been shot while lying down1—her knees were aching for some mysterious reason.
But that was just the nature of trust between people. Only a true heart could be exchanged for a true heart, allowing both sides to let go of the thorns digging into them2.
Most of the time, it was far better to say things out loud than to hide them.
Some truths might be hard to accept, but the other person at least deserved the right to choose. Otherwise, misunderstandings would only deepen until the day the truth was finally revealed, and by then, the damage would be irreparable.
It was just like in the original novel. The male and female leads constantly hid things from each other, letting misunderstandings fester, refusing to speak their minds even on pain of death. Didn’t they end up on a dead-end road3, heading straight for a Bad Ending where they could never reconcile, despite their obvious feelings for each other?
And then there were Fuzhu and Huodou. Their one-sided devotion4 and concealment had given rise to so many misunderstandings that could have easily been avoided.
When it came down to it, although Chao Yun had intended to protect that Yi Bird, she had never once harmed Luo Mingyuan or Jiang Yuyao. In fact, she had been trying her best to protect them throughout this entire journey.
She was always a step too late, but that could only be blamed on You Yan’s incredible speed.
When a major villain with a penchant for action decides to steal the second female lead’s job, what’s a mere female number two supposed to do?
Chao Yun had wanted to save them. She just never managed to.
Regardless, they had to go to Ao’an Mountain now to fish out the two protagonists. After all, the Yi Bird that wanted to harm them was nowhere to be found, and it wasn’t right for them to stay with Xun Chi indefinitely.
Chao Yun’s injuries were all caused by ignoring the seal on her divine power5 and forcing it into use. This kind of internal damage wouldn’t heal in a short time.
You Yan had little patience, and Chao Yun was also worried about Jiang Yuyao and Luo Mingyuan’s condition. Without much thought, they made a hasty decision. Chao Yun prepared to set off before her injuries had even begun to recover.
You Yan had always disliked physical contact. The day she’d escaped Snake Mountain, she never would have transformed into her demon form6 to carry someone if she’d had any other choice.
Now that Chao Yun could spread her own wings and fly, You Yan certainly wouldn’t carry her again, not even for a second.
However, Chao Yun had already sealed most of her own divine power and was now suffering from serious internal injuries. Her flying speed was far slower than You Yan’s. The result was that You Yan had to slow down to accommodate the injured straggler behind her.
“You might as well just carry her,” Yi Qiu remarked from mid-air, glancing back at Chao Yun.
“…”
“I get it. She’s not worthy?”
“As long as you know.”
A light laugh escaped Yi Qiu’s lips as she suddenly remembered something.
She rested in You Yan’s arms and whispered, “Back then, you said I wasn’t worthy either.”
You Yan looked down at her. “You want me to apologize?”
“I wouldn’t say no to that.”
“Back then,” You Yan stated, “you really weren’t worthy.”
“…”
Seeing Yi Qiu roll her eyes, You Yan let out a soft chuckle.
Yi Qiu pouted. “So when did I become worthy?”
“What do you think?” You Yan countered.
Yi Qiu thought back seriously, then raised an eyebrow. “Was it when we first crossed the Yun Bridge at the Xianlu Sect?”
She remembered it clearly. That was the first time You Yan had carried her on her back. Although she’d been dropped on the ground the second they were across, it was the first time she had ever been so close to You Yan.
But she was wrong. The moment You Yan heard her answer, she shook her head slightly.
“But you offered to carry me!”
“My spirit pet7,” You Yan said coolly. “Did she need someone from the Heavenly Realm to carry her?”
…Right. So it was just prejudice at work.
Yi Qiu thought for a moment more. “Then when was it? The night we left the Xianlu Sect?”
“That time,” You Yan admitted, shaking her head with a small smile, “I was less opposed to it. But it doesn’t really matter.”
“How can it not matter?” Yi Qiu insisted stubbornly. “I just want to know when you started to accept me from the bottom of your heart.”
“Honestly, I can’t say for sure,” You Yan said, falling into a thoughtful silence.
If I had to pinpoint when I truly accepted her, it must have been after the dream.
To me, this stupid girl8, Yi Qiu, was a walking mystery, her mouth full of lies.
If only the little alpaca’s eyes weren’t so transparent. If only the little alpaca wasn’t too weak to hurt me in the slightest. If only the little alpaca didn’t so clearly rely on me. If only the little alpaca hadn’t been willing to die with me…
If not for all that, I’m afraid I would have casually turned her into a pot of alpaca soup one day when I was in a bad mood.
And yet, even now, before the dream, there had been so many things hidden between them.
You Yan couldn’t help but think that maybe she should thank that Yi Bird. If it weren’t for that Floating Dream Pearl, Yi Qiu never would have confessed everything—after all, before that, even when her words were full of holes, the little stupid sheep9 had clung desperately to that final secret.
In truth, that secret wasn’t so hard for her to accept.
If there was one thing that displeased her, it was the “strange thing”10 called the System hiding inside Yi Qiu, constantly forcing her to run its errands.
If there was a way, she would definitely pluck that thing out and crush it to dust between her fingertips.
“Hello? You Yan?” Yi Qiu waved a hand in front of You Yan’s face. “What are you thinking about?”
“I’m thinking about how to kill the System,” You Yan replied, not bothering to hide her thoughts in the slightest.
“Uh…” Yi Qiu was at a loss for words.
This question was a bit beyond the syllabus11.
Wasn’t the System some kind of Spacetime Regulator12? Could you even kill something like that?
【Host! I’m still a little bit useful!】
【Please be absolutely certain, Host, that you cannot live without me before the mission is complete!】
“I was just curious, I didn’t really mean I wanted you dead…” Yi Qiu said in her mind.
【Wuwu.】
“But since you say you’re useful, why don’t you tell me how exactly I’m supposed to complete this mission?”
【Change the world line13 of 《Thin, Withered Branches》 and guide the ending toward a reasonable Happy En…】
“Stop giving me the runaround!” Yi Qiu couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “The world line changed ages ago! Luo Mingyuan and Jiang Yuyao don’t have all those messy misunderstandings anymore. So what counts as their HE14? Successfully passing their trials and returning to their divine positions? Or do they need to get married or something?”
【It should be the former.】
“So you’re saying they still have trials to face…” Yi Qiu frowned. “Is it the Yi Bird?”
【This involves the main storyline15. The Host is requested to explore it on her own.】
“…”
Fine. It was just a casual chat, but it wasn’t entirely fruitless.
At least when she mentioned the Yi Bird, the System had dropped those three big words: “main storyline.”
Now that the Yi Bird was part of the “main storyline,” it basically meant that the villain had turned over a new leaf, leaving the protagonists with no trials to overcome. So, the vicious female number three16 had conveniently stepped up to become the current antagonist.
Thinking about it, that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
From a mission standpoint, dealing with that love-brained17 Yi Bird was far easier than dealing with the usually rational You Yan.
As Yi Qiu was thinking this, she looked up and found You Yan’s gaze fixed on her.
“…Huh?”
“Having another secret talk18 with that System?” You Yan asked.
“It wasn’t a secret talk!” Yi Qiu quickly recounted her entire conversation with the System.
After listening, You Yan fell into a deep silence.
The journey from Moshui City to Ao’an Mountain, even accommodating for Chao Yun’s speed, was only a day’s travel from dawn till dusk.
They had set out in the morning and, just as expected, arrived at Ao’an in the dead of night19.
This wasn’t the first time You Yan had shown up uninvited. The moment she arrived before the sealed barrier of Ao’an Mountain, she pushed Yi Qiu behind her and prepared to force her way through with magic.
When Chao Yun saw this, she instinctively moved to stop You Yan, but before she could act, a burst of fire shot out from within the barrier.
You Yan’s hand seal instantly shifted from offense to defense. She summoned a spiritual shield, blocking the fiery assault.
The flash of light was blinding. A wave of scorching heat washed over them, so intense that Yi Qiu, huddled behind You Yan, almost couldn’t catch her breath.
From within the barrier, an angry voice shouted, “Who dares trespass on Ao’an Mountain!”
That voice, that deadly heat… you could figure it out with your toes. It had to be the Huodou! Has Xun Chi turned that little hot dog20 into a mountain-watching dog21 in the short time we’ve been gone?
You Yan frowned and pushed forward with her free hand, blasting the roaring flames away in all directions.
The scattered embers instantly set the surrounding grass and trees ablaze.
“Little hot dog, it’s us! Let’s talk this out, don’t burn down the mountain!”
The words had barely left Yi Qiu’s mouth when, before she could worry any further, a girl in black robes appeared and raised a hand, drawing all the flames back into her palm.
It seemed the little hot dog had finally learned to control the power inside her.
As the fire vanished, the black-robed girl stood before them, her gaze sweeping warily over the three of them before finally settling on Chao Yun.
After a short silence, she frowned. “I recognize you two. But who is she?”
“Chao Yun, a disciple of the Xianlu Sect and Hua Mo Pavilion22,” Chao Yun announced, taking two steps forward. “I’m here to find Jiang Yuyao and Luo Mingyuan.”
Hearing this, the wariness in Yue Zhuo’s eyes slowly faded into uncertainty.
You Yan asked flatly, “What, are you not letting us in?”
Yue Zhuo shook her head, then nodded, answering with a serious expression, “Xun Chi said that we must be on guard against all strangers of unknown origin these days.”
She looked at Chao Yun. “How can you prove your identity?”
Yi Qiu couldn’t hold back. “She might not know you, but Jiang Yuyao and that little pig trotter23 do! If you don’t believe us, just have them come out and see for themselves!”
Yue Zhuo considered this. “Wait here.”
With a flick of her finger, she sent a wisp of flame floating through the barrier. Then she sat down cross-legged at the edge of the seal, arms crossed, adopting a posture that screamed, I’m not moving, so none of you better think about moving either. And with a ferocious beast blocking the path, who would dare act rashly?
This little hot dog was incredibly stubborn. Besides Jian Li and Xun Chi, she wouldn’t listen to anyone.
Seeing that she wouldn’t yield, You Yan leaned against a tree to wait.
Thankfully, the wait wasn’t long. Xun Chi soon hurried out from the barrier and welcomed the three of them inside.
“Your gate is certainly well-guarded these days,” You Yan remarked dryly.
“Today’s welcome was indeed neglectful of me, but Demon Lord, you may not know this… a few days ago, that Yi Bird from Snake Mountain was acting so erratically that I had no choice but to take precautions…”
“Thank you for your trouble. Do you know where Jinwu and Fusang are now?” You Yan asked, getting straight to the point. “Those two are still undergoing their mortal trial24, and staying here for too long will only burden you. It would be better to let me take them. I’m willing to intervene in their trial, and the Heavenly Realm can’t control me. As for that Yi Bird, I have my own ways of dealing with it.”
“This…” Xun Chi hesitated, seeming not to know how to respond.
But Yue Zhuo, standing to the side, blinked and said earnestly, “They can’t leave for now.”
“Why not?” Chao Yun asked.
Yue Zhuo replied, “That kid is half-dead, half-alive. How is he supposed to go anywhere?”
“Half-dead, half-alive?” Yi Qiu repeated.
“Yue Zhuo…” Xun Chi warned.
“He’s been unconscious for almost two months,” Yue Zhuo said. “Isn’t that half-dead, half-alive?”
Yi Qiu was stunned.
What was going on? Unconscious for almost two months?
This was what the System called “low spirits” and “injuries not yet healed”? The difference was a little too vast!
Who was it that was telling me how useful they were today…
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