Missing You
Yingshi had been locked in solitary confinement for a month.
This punishment was actually quite light. After all, the collapse of the Repentance Cliff was arguably the biggest incident the Yunshui Sect had seen in hundreds of years. If Xu Mingcheng had not realized something was amiss himself, he would never have let the matter drop so lightly.
The official explanation eventually formulated was that the Yunshui Sect had new development plans, and therefore decided to blow up the long-idle Repentance Cliff to rebuild and repurpose it.
Her and Shuangjian's identities as suspects were never made public.
Yet Yingshi was still extremely dissatisfied. She was clearly innocent, so why should she be wronged? Confinement meant a loss of freedom, and after Xu Mingcheng failed to find any trace of the ghost fog within the Yunshui Sect, her confinement period was extended to a full two months!
The only reason it wasn't longer was that the Tiangang Martial Tournament was taking place in the third month, and Xu Mingcheng had not yet given up on his plan to send his son and daughter to the tournament to gild their reputations.
Yingshi resorted to various methods to protest. For example, she tried to break out by force, but was unfortunately suppressed. She went on a hunger strike to show her resolve, but unfortunately had her fighting spirit corrupted by the chicken legs fed to her by Nanny Zhong. She even tried exposing Xu Xiaoran's gambling debts to divert the hostility; while this successfully earned her cheapskate brother the exact same confinement punishment, it unfortunately failed to win her own freedom...
Watching the days pass by one by one, Yingshi was extremely panicked. To this day, she still didn't know what had happened to Shuangjian after that day.
Countless times, she begged Nanny Zhong, who came to deliver her meals, to help her find out a little about Shuangjian's situation. However, the woman, who was not good at lying, would only stammer out excuses like, He's doing just fine, I heard he's getting very close to another young lady, He's still a disappointing piece of trash when it comes to cultivation, and Miss, you might as well give up on him, and so on.
Left with no other choice, Yingshi even went straight to Xu Mingcheng to ask, only to be met with a blistering scolding: How did an outer sect disciple with mediocre talent get mixed up with you?! Was he the one who instigated you to do all this? You aren't worried about yourself, yet you have the mood to worry about someone else? I checked his bones and meridians long ago; he's a guy who isn't even as good as your brother. You better kill that thought right now!
Being scolded was indeed quite unpleasant, but Yingshi was also able to glean some comforting information from it—Shuangjian was fine for the time being, and just like in the original text, he had mastered a method to disguise his true strength, lying low in secret, waiting to amaze the world with a single brilliant feat.
Having undergone the transformation of the Marrow Cleansing Spring, and with his seal loosened, it was absolutely impossible for him to be not even as good as Xu Xiaoran. Therefore, it could only be that he had actively deceived everyone's eyes.
In the original text, Shuangjian did this because he suddenly became too strong and attracted too much attention. Now, besides this original reason, they also had to do their utmost to hide their experience in the realm of the Marrow Cleansing Spring.
A realm was a very rare thing to see. The book explicitly mentioned that the only people who had entered a realm, besides the male lead, were his father and his mother.
If they carelessly flaunted this fortuitous encounter, they might even be captured and studied.
It wasn't a big deal that Yingshi herself had suddenly become a bit stronger. The specific changes in her meridians couldn't be seen with the naked eye; they required actual examination, like what Xu Mingcheng had done to Shuangjian.
Therefore, at first glance, others would only notice that her cultivation base had greatly increased. Her original aptitude wasn't bad to begin with, and it was common for cultivators to explode with potential in critical moments and advance an entire major realm. Even if her spiritual power increased greatly, it was perfectly normal.
At present, no one should be able to guess that they had entered the realm of the Marrow Cleansing Spring... Of course, Mi Ruotian didn't count as a person.
Yingshi silently gave a thumbs-up in her heart to Shuangjian, who had successfully hidden his strength. As expected of a reliable teammate, he never dropped the ball.
As someone who had read the original book, CR she was still unaware of many details, such as how exactly to implement spells like hiding one's strength. Fortunately, Shuangjian had figured it out himself. Once they met, she definitely had to ask him to teach her.
Thump.
Amidst her wild thoughts, a dull thud came from outside the tightly shut door.
Yingshi turned her head to look and raised her voice, Nanny Zhong, you can leave. I said I won't eat, and I mean it! Don't even think about tempting me with chicken legs or anything else this time, it's useless! And by the way, tell my dad that unless he lets me out, I won't touch another bite of food!
...
It was quiet outside for a moment. The visitor did not answer, but they didn't walk away either.
If it wasn't Nanny Zhong, then it could only be...
Dad?
Cough!
This time, a sound finally came from outside. It sounded like a man had choked in panic, letting out a short cough.
But that wasn't Xu Mingcheng's voice. Feeling surprised, Yingshi hurriedly got up and walked toward the door.
This courtyard had been warded with a barrier by Xu Mingcheng. Besides himself and Nanny Zhong, no one else could even get close, and Yingshi couldn't get out either.
Just as she was feeling suspicious, she heard the person outside whisper in an extremely guilty tone, It's me... Xiao Sun, Xuanyi...
What Xiao Sun Xuanyi!
Yingshi flew into a rage just hearing this person speak. She said in a highly aggressive tone, You've come to the wrong place for a prison visit. Xu Xiaoran is next door!
Before her voice faded, she suddenly realized something, her body jolting in shock. She threw herself against the door and demanded, Wait, how did you get in?!
Brother Shuangjian asked me to bring you a letter. Sun Xuanyi's tone was incredibly humble. As for how this lowly one got in, this lowly one doesn't know either. Everything was arranged by Big Brother...
...Brother... Shuangjian?
Yingshi's brain crashed at this title.
While she was in a daze, Sun Xuanyi outside had already squatted down and, somehow, slipped a letter in through the crack under the door.
Hearing his movements, it sounded like his mission was accomplished and he was ready to slip away. No matter how shocked and confused Yingshi was, she had to snap out of it and call out to stop him, Wait! Speak clearly, who is your Big Brother?
Why, the amiable and respectable Brother Shuangjian, of course... If you have any more questions, you'll understand once you read the letter. It is inconvenient for this lowly one to alarm the Sect Master, so I will take my leave first!
Even through the window, she could almost see Sun Xuanyi's fawning and ingratiating expression.
Yingshi immediately visualized a chief eunuch from a palace drama. How could she possibly connect this current person with the scoundrel who had tried to touch her hand in the thatched cottage half a month ago?
What's more, Sun Xuanyi was clearly the number one cannon fodder who opposed the male lead. Even if they had skipped the plotline where he beat the male lead to the brink of death, this rather flat character shouldn't have done a 180-degree turn and directly transformed into Shuangjian's underling, right?
What on earth had happened in just a few short days?
Yingshi had no time to think these questions through. She only knew she couldn't let go of this mouthpiece who had finally delivered himself to her door!
Halt! You are not allowed to leave, wait right there...
Her fingers were trembling with anxiety as she hastily picked up the letter from the floor. This piece of paper, folded into a square, still had the residual ash of some burned talisman paper on it. Without time to ponder it carefully, she immediately unfolded the letter unceasingly—
There was only half a page of small writing.
Outside the door, Sun Xuanyi pleaded bitterly, "Senior Sister Yingshi, I beg you to hurry up... Even though I have the excuse of coming to collect a debt from Brother Xiaoran, staying too long might draw the Sect Master's attention. If you have any message for me to pass on, please just say it quickly."
Yingshi skimmed through the letter, taking in ten lines at a glance. She had already pulled out a piece of paper and was frantically writing a reply.
Time was tight, and with Sun Xuanyi begging and urging her from outside, her handwriting became a hurried scrawl. Regardless of whether Shuangjian could read it clearly, she briefly described her situation in the letter, expressed her concern for him and her anger at being locked up, as well as her hopes for the future plotlines they would navigate together.
But when she folded the reply and tried to slip it out through the crack under the door, she ran into trouble.
It wouldn't go through!
The barrier was impenetrable; the crack under the door was not a loophole!
"What's going on? Can letters only be slipped in from the outside, but I can't send a reply out?!"
"Senior Sister Yingshi, don't worry! It's because Brother Shuangjian has extraordinary abilities. When he gave me the letter, he attached a spiritual talisman to it. I also have one of those talismans stuck to my back, which is how I was able to slip out of Brother Xiaoran's courtyard and quietly come to your door," Sun Xuanyi explained in a low voice. "If you have anything you want to tell him, just tell me directly, and I will definitely deliver the message!"
"...If he has a spiritual talisman that can pass through the barrier, why didn't he come to see me himself?"
"Brother Shuangjian definitely wants to see you very much too! It's just that I was summoned by the Sect Master today to collect spirit stones from Brother Xiaoran, so I had a legitimate reason to enter the courtyard. When Brother Shuangjian learned about this, he thought of asking me to bring you a letter to convey his longing!" Sun Xuanyi suddenly let out a low exclamation at the end and said hurriedly, "Oh no, there are footsteps. I really have to retreat now!"
Hearing him run away in a panic and disappear, Yingshi was both startled and anxious, but there was nothing she could do.
She stomped her foot, crumpled the letter she had written into a ball, and threw it on the ground to vent her frustration.
After taking several deep breaths, she walked back into the room, forced herself to focus, and unfolded the letter Shuangjian had sent again, going back to read it word by word for a second time.
Shuangjian's words were concise and to the point, telling her many things in just a few short lines.
First, he reported that he was safe, saying that all was well with him and she shouldn't worry.
Second, he briefly summarized what happened after she was taken away that day. He was not reprimanded, but later the Yunshui Sect conducted a massive internal search, seemingly looking for clues about hidden demonic cultivators. However, because the Cliff of Repentance was destroyed, they ultimately found nothing.
During this period, Xu Mingcheng personally came to check his meridians several times. Because he had gained some enlightenment on spells in the Marrow Cleansing Spring domain, he successfully hid the fact that he had grown stronger.
Third, he comforted her, telling her not to be anxious about her confinement. The matter of Mi Ruotian was difficult to explain clearly in a few words, and obsessing over it now would only drain her. There might be opportunities to vent her anger in the future. Until the selection matches for the Tiangang Martial Gathering began, there were no crucial plotlines she needed to participate in. It would be better to relax and use this time to internalize her spiritual energy and familiarize herself with her spells.
Yingshi's fingers holding the letter gradually relaxed. She gently folded the paper but didn't put it away, continuing to stare at it in a daze.
Shuangjian was very attentive. It must not have been easy for him to find an opportunity to send her this letter. Although his writing had a subtle sense of coldness and formality, she figured it was probably because seeing a letter was not the same as seeing someone in person.
Having figured this out, Yingshi still felt a bit disappointed and continued to dread this long period of confinement.
She felt like she was currently carrying out her most hated single-player quest, forced to separate from her friends and cut off contact. Receiving a message from the other party out of the blue one day would bring a moment of joy, but it would be followed by an even greater sense of emptiness and sadness.
She would miss him even more and feel even more lonely by herself.
Yingshi slumped back onto the table, buried her head in her arms, and let out a long sigh.
What would Shuangjian be doing right now?
...Would he also feel a little disappointed at not receiving her reply?
She thought with immense melancholy.
...
Meanwhile.
The young man Yingshi was thinking of was standing by a courtyard wall.
Twilight was falling, and he stood with his back to the light, his expression swallowed by the shadows.
Sun Xuanyi came jogging all the way over. From the moment he saw the person from afar, his calves couldn't stop trembling.
Who could have imagined that a person could undergo such an earth-shattering transformation? If it were in the past... Sigh, how could he dare to think about the past! The worst thing he had ever done was bully this King Yama who played the pig to eat the tiger, and on top of that, covet the Lady Yama handpicked by King Yama himself...
Sun Xuanyi cursed himself in his heart for deserving this. He finally stopped tremblingly two meters away, suppressed the instinct to kneel down directly, bowed respectfully, and mumbled, "B-b-b-big brother, the letter, the letter has been successfully delivered to Ying... Senior Sister Xu..."
Shuangjian cast his eyes down and glanced at him, and he immediately trembled even more violently.
After days of torment, he had already developed a strong survival instinct. He could acutely sense Shuangjian's displeasure at this moment. Upon hearing the nonchalant question, "Did she leave any message with you?", he immediately nodded exaggeratedly as if grabbing a lifeline. "Yes!!!"
He knew he had to perform well; he had to say something that would strike a chord in King Yama's heart! Even if Yingshi hadn't had time to reply, he had to make one up!
Sun Xuanyi shouted excitedly, "Senior Sister Xu said she misses you! She can't wait to see you!"
"..."
"She misses you so much that she can't sleep at night, has lost her appetite, washes her face with tears all day, and has even started a hunger strike!"
