The Black Lotus Stole The White Moonlight [Rebirth] - Chapter 10

“No…” Mu Tianyin instinctively began to refute her.

But after uttering only that single word, she froze.

Her primary purpose had been to uncover the identity of Bai An’an’s father and eliminate the suspicions surrounding her.

Mu Tianyin had always been cautious and rarely experienced emotional fluctuations.

Yet today, she had repeatedly made exceptions for this small young woman.

Her expression faded. Avoiding Bai An’an’s eyes, she merely said, “It’s nothing.”

Bai An’an: “…”

Bai An’an glanced at her from the corner of her eye, her eyes turning thoughtfully.

She knew that breaking through Mu Tianyin’s emotional defenses would inevitably be a prolonged battle. Therefore, she was not discouraged by the woman’s coldness.

She stepped forward and took Mu Tianyin’s hand.

Mu Tianyin’s fingers moved, but unexpectedly, she did not pull away.

The corner of Bai An’an’s mouth immediately curved upward, and her smile gained a little more genuine happiness. “Senior Sister, honestly, did you see my father?”

Mu Tianyin lowered her eyes to their joined hands before looking up at her again. “I did not.”

Bai An’an pressed her lips together, making her soft, plump cheeks appear even rounder and more adorable.

Mu Tianyin immediately recalled the little girl she had seen in the memory fragment.

When Bai An’an was young, she had not even received enough food to fill her stomach. Naturally, there could not have been any softness on her face.

At the time, she had been thin and short, with a small face darkened and yellowed by malnutrition.

Her frame was tiny, yet it supported a disproportionately large head, making her look almost like a skeleton.

That appearance was worlds apart from the adorable, jade-like young woman before Mu Tianyin now.

Mu Tianyin fell into a brief daze. However, there were still matters on the peak requiring her attention. She could not remain delayed by Bai An’an indefinitely.

After a pause, she intended to offer a few words of advice before departing.

But as she turned around, someone suddenly caught her sleeve.

She did not even need to think to know who it was.

When Mu Tianyin looked back, she unsurprisingly found Bai An’an gazing at her pitifully.

“Senior Sister, you won’t disappear for another entire month as soon as you leave, will you?” Bai An’an asked miserably, clutching Mu Tianyin’s sleeve with her fingers tightly knotted together.

Pretending to be weak and pitiful had always been among Bai An’an’s finest skills.

She had suddenly discovered that Mu Tianyin seemed particularly susceptible to this tactic.

A moment later, Bai An’an abruptly released her sleeve and lowered her head, staring dejectedly at her toes.

“I’m sorry, Senior Sister. An’an overstepped her bounds. I shouldn’t make things difficult for you.”

Mu Tianyin stood a full head taller than Bai An’an.

When Bai An’an lowered her head, Mu Tianyin could only see the fluffy crown of her hair.

Mu Tianyin had never known how to comfort others, much less a delicate young woman like Bai An’an.

After hesitating, she turned back and raised one arm, placing her palm atop Bai An’an’s head.

Feeling the weight on her head, Bai An’an looked up.

The brows upon Mu Tianyin’s ice-sculpted face seemed to relax slightly, making her appear almost pleased.

Bai An’an could not be certain. After all, Mu Tianyin rarely revealed any expression.

“Senior Sister?”

With her palm still resting on Bai An’an’s head, Mu Tianyin tentatively stroked her hair. The young woman appeared far too delicate, so she did not dare use much force.

The image of the frail young girl in the memory fragment—so thin she looked as though the slightest touch might make her fall apart—had left too deep an impression.

The corner of Mu Tianyin’s mouth shifted slightly as she said in her clear, pleasant voice, “Don’t worry. I’ll visit you often from now on.”

At those words, Bai An’an immediately blossomed into a brilliant smile as radiant as spring flowers.

“Senior Sister! You treat me so well!”

Even the smallest kindness from another person was carefully treasured by her.

Despite everything she had experienced during childhood, she appeared to carry no shadows in her heart and remained just as carefree as ever.

Mu Tianyin felt that the mysteries surrounding this young woman were only increasing, yet they did not make her dislike Bai An’an.

After a moment, she slowly asked, “Do you truly remember nothing?”

Bai An’an froze and blinked in surprise. “What do you mean, Senior Sister? An’an hasn’t forgotten anything.”

“Then you…” Mu Tianyin lowered her long lashes. After pausing, she glanced at Bai An’an but did not continue.

From that day onward, Mu Tianyin truly kept her promise and visited Bai An’an whenever she had time.

Seeing Mu Tianyin cooperate so readily, Bai An’an naturally seized every opportunity offered to her, clinging to Mu Tianyin and acting sweet and helpless whenever she appeared.

Nor had she forgotten her original objective.

She had to win Mu Tianyin over before Song Qiyu left the Cliff of Reflection.

Examining her memories had produced excellent results last time, so Bai An’an intended to continue pressing her advantage.

Thus, she repeatedly asked Mu Tianyin to help her find her father.

“Senior Sister, what does An’an’s father look like? Why won’t you tell me?”

Mu Tianyin replied in a perfectly calm voice, “I haven’t found him yet.”

Bai An’an looked puzzled. “If you haven’t found him, then keep searching!”

Mu Tianyin lowered her eyes before looking up again, seeming hesitant to speak.

The young woman was only a mortal and could not withstand such techniques. Mu Tianyin could only examine her memories occasionally, exploring a little at a time.

Mu Tianyin raised one hand and pressed it against her chest.

Whenever she thought about the Profound Yin blood that her heart had not yet fully absorbed, a heavy shadow settled over her.

That night, she no longer hesitated. Concealing her form, she entered Bai An’an’s bedroom.

She descended soundlessly into the room, her feet touching the floor without making the slightest noise.

Bai An’an awakened almost the instant Mu Tianyin entered.

After all, Mu Tianyin’s cultivation was profound, and she had made no effort to conceal her presence from Bai An’an. To her senses, the woman resembled a brilliantly glowing lamp. It would have been difficult not to notice her.

The instant Mu Tianyin approached, Bai An’an’s inner actress took complete control.

She clutched the edge of the bed and dug her fingernails into it, as though trapped in an utterly terrifying nightmare. Her face was filled with panic.

“Mother, please don’t hit An’er—”

Mu Tianyin had just leaned down when she heard those words.

Lowering her eyes, she saw the young woman lying on her back, seemingly trapped in a nightmare. Fine beads of perspiration covered her deathly pale little face.

Mu Tianyin extended one finger and had only just touched the space between Bai An’an’s brows when Bai An’an suddenly reached out and seized her.

The space between Mu Tianyin’s brows twitched as she looked down.

The young woman’s slender fingers were wrapped tightly around her wrist.

Bai An’an hugged Mu Tianyin’s arm against her chest and refused to let go, continuing to murmur indistinctly in her sleep.

Mu Tianyin assumed she was dreaming about her childhood experiences.

Bai An’an held tightly to her arm and rested her head against Mu Tianyin’s hand.

Just as Mu Tianyin was about to withdraw it, she suddenly froze.

A tear slipped from the corner of Bai An’an’s eye and landed on the back of Mu Tianyin’s hand.

It was not as though Mu Tianyin had never seen anyone cry, but she had never witnessed someone weep the way Bai An’an did.

The young woman clutched her arm and bit down tightly on her lip. She made no sound, yet her tears poured uncontrollably.

She appeared especially aggrieved and heartbreakingly pitiful.

Mu Tianyin lowered her eyes and sighed. Sitting beside the bed, she raised her other arm and gently rested her hand against Bai An’an’s shoulder and back.

Bai An’an immediately seized the opportunity and rolled entirely into Mu Tianyin’s embrace.

Nestled against her chest, she faintly curved her lips while continuing to sob and murmur in her sleep.

“Mother, don’t hit An’er. An’er will treat you very, very well from now on.”

Holding the young woman’s slender body, Mu Tianyin’s eyelashes trembled slightly.

She remained silent for a long time before finally responding with a sigh, “Mm.”

Bai An’an embraced her and buried her face against Mu Tianyin’s chest. Knowing Mu Tianyin could not see her expression, the smile on her lips grew increasingly unrestrained.

She had made the correct move.

Mu Tianyin truly had begun to pity her.

Who would have thought those bleak childhood memories would prove so useful?

When Bai An’an considered how everything she had done was worthwhile, she no longer minded reliving that pain inside her dreams.

The corners of her mouth lifted into a sweet smile.

A hazy light abruptly appeared before her.

Bai An’an stood in place and surveyed her surroundings, realizing that she had once again been pulled into a fragment of her memories.

She stood in the main hall on the first floor, watching people pass back and forth around her.

Scantily dressed women continually descended from the second floor, swaying their waists and holding handkerchiefs as they greeted customers with beaming smiles.

Bai An’an watched without the slightest emotion until someone suddenly shoved her shoulder.

She frowned and turned around. A little girl with her hair styled in twin buns stood before her, slightly taller than Bai An’an.

“An’an, what are you staring at?”

Bai An’an had forgotten who she was. Hearing the question, she immediately forced out a smile and replied, “Nothing.”

The girl glanced at her, then quickly looked past her toward one side. Lowering her voice, she warned, “Stop daydreaming. I just saw the House Mistress watching us.”

The House Mistress she referred to was the brothel’s madam.

Bai An’an turned and looked, immediately spotting the woman in the first-floor hall.

Without another word, the little girl suddenly seized Bai An’an’s hand and pulled her toward the second floor.

Bai An’an allowed herself to be dragged along without breaking free.

Inwardly, she wondered where Mu Tianyin might be hiding to watch the show.

Bai An’an had no intention of allowing Mu Tianyin to remain a passive spectator throughout the entire memory.

She remembered that Mu Tianyin had only appeared last time after Bai An’an was injured.

A pleasant female voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Well, if it isn’t little Taozi and little An’er. Where are the two of you going?”

The woman wore a misty emerald-green gauze dress. Her eyes were as gentle as water, and the green jade bracelet around her wrist made her skin appear even smoother and fairer.

Taozi immediately stopped and greeted her in a clear voice. “Miss Cuiyan!”

“Yes?” The woman responded with a smile. Lowering her eyes, she glanced over Bai An’an before her gaze suddenly stopped.

She took several steps forward and gripped Bai An’an’s chin, forcing her to raise her face.

“Did your mother hit you again?”

Bai An’an mumbled indistinctly, “No.”

Cuiyan studied her for a moment before shaking her head.

First, she pulled several pieces of candy from her sleeve and placed them in Taozi’s hand, telling the girl to go play by herself. Then she took Bai An’an’s hand, pushed open a door, and led her inside.

Bai An’an lowered her head and sat uneasily upon a round stool.

“Sister Cuiyan, Mother is still calling for me,” she murmured.

Cuiyan stroked her head. “Be good. Let Sister apply medicine to your injuries first, and then I’ll take you back. All right?”

After hesitating, Bai An’an agreed.

Before long, a maid brought a customer upstairs.

Naturally, Bai An’an could not remain there any longer. She quickly lowered her head and ran out of the room.

All sorts of customers visited the brothel. Some possessed particular tastes and preferred scrawny little bean sprouts like her, without even a few ounces of flesh on their bodies.

When Bai An’an returned to her mother’s room, the woman had just completed a transaction. Her dark hair hung loose as she sat before the dressing mirror, combing its long strands.

Hearing movement at the door, she called without turning around, “An’er.”

Bai An’an’s footsteps stopped.

She knew her opportunity had arrived.

If her mother ignored her and acted as though she did not exist, they could remain at peace.

Whenever she called Bai An’an in this calm voice, however, it meant she was about to lose control again.

Yet the corners of Bai An’an’s tightly pressed lips lifted slightly.

If she wanted to lure Mu Tianyin out, this was exactly what she needed.

Despite her thoughts, Bai An’an’s face showed only timid unease. She murmured once more, “Mother, why did you call An’er?”