Chapter 5

Although Siming said this, she was actually exaggerating quite a bit. After all, today’s incident was an opportunity she had specially arranged for Mo Shuangshuang. If the male and female leads were too different from each other, how could they develop feelings? Naturally, the solution was to create an isolated environment for the two of them, then have them support each other through danger and hardship. After spending time together like that, wouldn’t feelings naturally develop?

Mo Shuangshuang had failed to “play the hero and rescue the beauty” last time, so Siming couldn’t let her ruin things again. Her eyes darted around, and she put on an anxious expression. “A life is at stake here! If you hesitate for even one more second, your Sister Wanqi Yu will be dead!”

Sure enough, just as Siming had expected, Mo Shuangshuang stopped asking questions. Under Siming’s guidance, she ran all the way into the forest outside Piling Town. She hurried along, sweating profusely. Since she hadn’t yet learned to fly on a sword, she could only run as fast as her short legs would carry her. Before she knew it, she had ventured deep into the forest.

The farther she ran, the more secluded the surroundings became, and the denser the vegetation grew. After running for who knew how long, the scenery suddenly opened up. Mo Shuangshuang looked carefully and discovered that there was no road ahead. Beyond her lay a steep, sheer cliff.

Mo Shuangshuang peered into the distance, then turned to Siming with a hesitant expression. Siming asked curiously, “Why have you stopped?”

Mo Shuangshuang could only reply, “There’s no path ahead.”

Siming clicked her tongue, walked to the edge of the cliff, and pointed downward with an air of mystery. “Haven’t you read those storybooks? When the protagonist jumps off a cliff, not only do they survive, but they also encounter a fortuitous opportunity.”

That opportunity might be discovering a treasure or meeting a peerless beauty. Siming glanced at Mo Shuangshuang. There wasn’t any treasure waiting below, but there was certainly a peerless beauty. Unfortunately, Mo Shuangshuang was still too innocent to appreciate the significance of that.

Mo Shuangshuang approached doubtfully and cautiously poked her head over the edge to look down. A cold gust of wind rose from the bottomless depths of the cliff, blowing the loose strands of hair around her forehead. She immediately felt dizzy and shivered, instinctively taking a step backward.

“Sister Siming… I still don’t know how to fly.” She didn’t know whether jumping down would bring her some miraculous opportunity, but she was certain she would die on the spot.

Siming had been waiting for her to say exactly that. Hearing this, she merely smiled. “Don’t worry. I’m here.”

Not knowing how to fly on a sword was hardly a problem.

Looking at Siming’s smiling face, Mo Shuangshuang inexplicably felt a chill run down her spine, and a terrible premonition arose in her heart. Before she could refuse, Siming swiftly grabbed her by the collar and unceremoniously threw her off the cliff.

As Mo Shuangshuang screamed, Siming’s voice drifted down from the top of the cliff.

“Do your best to win over Wanqi Yu! Don’t let me down!”

“Oh, and I’ll come back later!”

The sensation of weightlessness sent Mo Shuangshuang’s heart racing. The cold wind cut like knives, rushing into her mouth, which had fallen open involuntarily. She hurriedly shut her mouth and squeezed her eyes closed, clasping her hands tightly against her chest, too frightened to face the terrible fate awaiting her.

To her surprise, however, a long time passed, and the howling wind eventually subsided. Yet the pain she had expected never came. Mo Shuangshuang cautiously opened one eye and was astonished to discover that she was standing perfectly unharmed at the bottom of the cliff.

Beneath her feet was soft sand. A few steps ahead flowed a crystal-clear stream. Mo Shuangshuang secretly glanced into the water and could even see several fish swimming freely and playing in the current.

She looked around and suddenly spotted a cave. Remembering Siming’s instructions, she immediately abandoned her interest in the scenery and hurried inside.

The cave wasn’t very deep. After walking only a few steps, Mo Shuangshuang spotted a figure dressed in white lying ahead. There was an opening in the cave ceiling through which [read the original at bailiantales.com]sunlight streamed, illuminating the figure’s spotless white robes and hair as pale as snow.

Mo Shuangshuang was startled. She slowly approached Wanqi Yu and crouched beside her, curiously examining her appearance. Judging by her eyebrows and eyes, this was indeed Sister Wanqi Yu. But why did she look different from before?

White robes, white hair, and skin so pale it seemed almost translucent, making the vertical red mark between her eyebrows appear even sharper.

Whenever Sister Wanqi Yu opened her eyes, she often wore a smile, which made her seem very approachable to Mo Shuangshuang. But now, with her eyes closed, she was as beautiful as snow atop a lofty mountain, radiating an inexplicable sense of distance that made her seem untouchable.

Mo Shuangshuang felt a little frightened. After staring at her face for a while, she had no idea where to begin. Sister Siming had only told her that she could save Wanqi Yu, but hadn’t explained how. So Mo Shuangshuang decided to follow her own judgment and imitate what her eldest sister had done whenever she was injured.

First, Mo Shuangshuang took a mattress, a thin quilt, and a pillow from her storage bag. Using every ounce of strength she possessed, she helped Wanqi Yu lie down on the mattress she had spread out. Her eldest sister had prepared all these things for her in case she ever got lost and had nowhere to stay.

Mo Shuangshuang was quite capable with her hands, and it didn’t take long for her to settle Wanqi Yu comfortably. Remembering that she still needed to treat the injuries on her body, she hurriedly took out pots, bowls, cooking utensils, and some medicinal herbs from her storage bag.

In less than fifteen minutes, the small cave was filled with the scent of medicinal herbs. Mo Shuangshuang rested her chin in her hands as she watched the fire beneath the medicine pot, occasionally turning her attention to Wanqi Yu’s condition. She blinked, then suddenly let out a soft sound of surprise.

She rubbed her eyes and realized that she hadn’t been mistaken. Sister Wanqi Yu’s hair was gradually turning black, and the red mark between her eyebrows had disappeared as well. Unable to understand what was happening, she thought about it for a moment before promptly giving up. Her attention soon returned to the earthenware pot.

When the medicine was ready, Wanqi Yu still hadn’t awakened. Mo Shuangshuang sat beside the mattress and reached out to pull open her clothes. She needed to examine Wanqi Yu’s injuries and apply medicine to them.

However, she had barely removed Wanqi Yu’s outer robe when a pair of long, slender fingers suddenly seized her wrist. Mo Shuangshuang met Wanqi Yu’s blue eyes ​stolen content​and broke into a delighted smile. But in the next instant, a slap landed across her face, and she was sent flying.

——

The entire cave fell silent, as still as death.

Mo Shuangshuang sat on the ground, covering her face and burying her head between her knees as tears streamed down her cheeks.

In all her years, no one had ever hit her before. Although her second sister constantly teased her, she had never actually raised a hand against her. As for her eldest sister, that went without saying. Apart from having no friends, Mo Shuangshuang had always lived a rather carefree and sheltered life. How could she have imagined that someone would suddenly slap her for no apparent reason today?

Thinking of her eldest and second sisters only made her feel more aggrieved, and her quiet sobs gradually grew louder.

Wanqi Yu stood beside Mo Shuangshuang, looking embarrassed. After a long while, she finally bent down and tentatively reached out to stroke her head, saying softly, “I was wrong. Please don’t cry.”

Mo Shuangshuang raised her face, revealing a pair of eyes reddened from crying. Pouting, she asked, “Sister Wanqi Yu, I’m not a bad person. Why did you hit me?”

Wanqi Yu opened her mouth, her expression stiffening. She didn’t know how to explain herself to Mo Shuangshuang. When she had first awakened, her consciousness had still been somewhat hazy. Without even seeing the other person’s face clearly, she had slapped away the “lecher” who was undressing her. Who would have thought that the “lecher” would turn out to be Mo Shuangshuang?

After a long silence, she finally said stiffly, “If you’re really angry, you can hit me to vent your anger.”

As she spoke, she crouched down, took Mo Shuangshuang’s hand, and tried to bring it toward her own face.

Mo Shuangshuang’s eyes widened. She was so frightened that she even forgot to cry. Hurriedly pulling her hand back, she sobbed, “I… I’m not angry.”

She had simply been stunned by the sudden slap and had hurt herself when she fell, so she couldn’t help crying. Sniffling, she gazed at Wanqi Yu with tear-filled eyes, her voice still trembling with sobs. “I-I can’t help it. Just let me cry for a little while, and I’ll be fine.”

Sister Wanqi Yu was still injured. How could she possibly hit someone who was sick?

Mo Shuangshuang sniffled hard, her eyes as red as a rabbit’s. Taking Wanqi Yu by the wrist, she led her back to the bedding and made her lie down properly.

Only then did Wanqi Yu notice how the cave had been arranged. She stared at Mo Shuangshuang in surprise and hesitantly asked, “Did you do all this?”

In truth, there were quite a few suspicious things about Mo Shuangshuang. How had she reached the bottom of the cliff? How had she discovered Wanqi Yu here? And before approaching her, had she seen her true form?

These questions flashed through Wanqi Yu’s mind. However, when her gaze fell on Mo Shuangshuang’s reddened eyes and she remembered the misunderstanding just now, she ultimately swallowed her questions.

After all, she was merely a little girl. What threat could she possibly pose?

With a helpless smile, Wanqi Yu allowed Mo Shuangshuang to press her down onto the bedding. She watched as the little girl nimbly turned around to fetch the medicine, her expression perfectly serious.

“Eldest Sister said that when you’re sick, you have to unauthorized copytake medicine. Sister Wanqi Yu, I prepared these medicinal herbs myself. Once you drink this, you’ll get better.”

Wanqi Yu lowered her eyes to the pitch-black medicinal liquid, her long, curled eyelashes trembling slightly.

Mo Shuangshuang stared at her blankly and asked in confusion, “Sister Wanqi Yu?”

Afraid that the little girl might start crying again, Wanqi Yu had no choice but to take the bowl of medicine, close her eyes, and drink it all in one go.

Resting her chin in her hands, Mo Shuangshuang watched Wanqi Yu finish the medicine. She put the bowl away and reached out to examine the injuries on Wanqi Yu’s body. But remembering what had happened earlier, she immediately froze.

She swallowed nervously and asked with great caution, “Sister Wanqi Yu, I need to look at your injuries. Please don’t hit me.”

Hearing this, Wanqi Yu sighed. Her dark eyes seemed to shimmer with countless tiny stars as she said helplessly, “I’m sorry. I didn’t do it on purpose. What can I do to make you forgive me?”

Mo Shuangshuang instinctively wanted to say that she wasn’t angry at all. But then a sudden idea flashed through her mind, and she remembered what Siming had told her. She secretly glanced at Wanqi Yu and said uneasily, “If Sister Wanqi Yu agrees to one request of mine, I won’t be angry anymore.”

So that was how it was.

Wanqi Yu raised an eyebrow, and the corners of her lips curved into a faint smile. It was difficult to tell whether she felt more disappointed or was experiencing some other complicated emotion. She turned slightly aside, avoiding Mo Shuangshuang’s clear gaze. Her dark eyes looked coldly toward a stone wall inside the cave, though her voice remained exceptionally gentle.

“Go ahead and ask. As long as it’s something I can do.”

What exactly was this youngest daughter of the Mo family after?

The influence of the Wanqi family? Or perhaps the protection of the Cangyu Sect? Or was it something else entirely?

After going to such lengths to scheme her way into Wanqi Yu’s favor, the girl must surely be seeking something substantial.

Mo Shuangshuang failed to notice anything different about Wanqi Yu’s voice. She swallowed nervously and whispered, “I want to become friends with Sister Wanqi Yu. Is that okay?”