58 - The Cannon Fodder is Prepared to Divorce

With Ji Wunian around, Sanqing Sect was livelier even with fewer senior brothers and sisters. Poor Ye Er reappeared in everyone's view on her first day out of seclusion because of a wooden horse, and of course, she wouldn't escape notice in the days to come. "Ye Er, can you make mechanical puppets?" Her mischievous master had started again. Moon White restrained herself from rolling her eyes as she was dragged along by her. Perhaps because he knew from afar that they were coming, Elder Qi Yue was waiting for them at their landing spot. He looked ethereal and didn't resemble an artisan at all. "Elder Qi Yue," Ji Wunian landed with Ye Er, casually tossing a sword out, "I gave Fengyu to her, so 'Qingleng' is returned to you." Qi Yue wasn't bothered by Ji Wunian's bluntness. He took Qingleng into his hand, smiling at Ye Er, "Ye Er, I have better swords here than Fengyu. How about you join my sect?" Qi Yue wouldn't ask such a question if Ji Wunian wasn't around. Since she was, he couldn't resist provoking her. The young disciple had no time to react. Her unreliable master hid her behind, "Steal my disciple? Dream on." Ye Er rubbed her sore shoulder, uninterested in the drama before her. It was just bickering between them—Ji Wunian arguing and then dragging her to some place in the limelight to showcase her talents—Moon White was too used to this; she found it dull. Unexpectedly, Ji Wunian asked Qi Yue for an inner room and put only herself and Ye Er inside. Faced with a pile of materials, Ye Er seemed hesitant, "Master, what kind of mechanical puppet are we making?" "Whatever you want," Ji Wunian said matter-of-factly. She walked to Ye Er's side, looked at the tools and materials on the table, and asked, "What do you want to make?" "…Let's go with Master's idea." "I have no idea," Ji Wunian picked up a small square hammer from the table and twirled it between her fingers, "Besides, I don't know how to make mechanical puppets." Jiuyi: "…She's playing with you, isn't she?" Seeing her lips purse, Ji Wunian blinked knowingly, "Don't you know someone who is really good at making mechanical puppets? Why not ask Ning Sheng?" Moon White had almost forgotten about him. However, as Ling Zhou, Ji Wunian had fortuitously resolved an issue for Chen Ning, found a loophole in her meticulous plans, and even showed leniency towards that fatal wound. Each of these actions spoke volumes about Chen Ning's significance to her. Previously, this unusual connection had caused Moon White quite a bit of trouble, rarely making her lose her temper. Moon White took out a purple talisman and handed it to Ji Wunian, "Master, if you have any questions, ask him yourself?" The young disciple's tone was casual, but Ji Wunian remembered the deep pain of being force-fed a pill in her haze. Ji Wunian took the talisman along with her wrist, pulling her little disciple to sit on her lap, cradling her waist and leaning on her shoulder cheek to cheek. Ji Wunian held Ye Er tightly in her arms, "I don't really want to find him." Despite saying that, she activated the talisman with her spiritual power, summoning the person on the other end. "Ye Er? What, you finally remembered me?" The youth on the other end sounded cheerful, "How's Wunian recently?" "I'm quite well." Ji Wunian observed her little disciple's expression but saw only indifference. "Wu-Wunian?" The youth's voice lifted slightly, "You've come out of seclusion?" Ji Wunian mischievously nipped Ye Er's earlobe, earning a restrained glare. She pinched Ye Er's cheek, "Yes, and as soon as I came out, I heard Ye Er wanted to learn mechanical puppetry, so I came to you for guidance." I didn't, I never said that, you're making things up. "So heartless?" Chen Ning laughed, the sound of infinite waves in the background, "I thought you'd be concerned about my encounter with Ling Zhou." Moon White recalled the scabbed crimson wound, looking up only to see Ji Wunian smiling faintly at her. That faint smile, like a bird flying across the sky, carried neither resentment nor left any trace. "I only heard you opened a hole in his stomach," Ji Wunian raised an eyebrow, seemingly talking about someone else, and her upturned lips appeared genuinely happy for Chen Ning, "Now it's said that you're a prodigy, the Ling Zhou that even Sect Master Zuo couldn't stop was halted by you." "Unfortunately, I couldn't retrieve Lengjian," Chen Ning's tone was regretful, "and Ling Zhou escaped." "There will be a next time…" Moon White's eyelid twitched. Ji Wunian didn't continue, switching topics, "By the way, why were you at Cangxue then? Didn’t Palace Lord Yuan take you back to Wuji?" "It was for that arranged marriage," Chen Ning said, "My foster father insisted I stay." "Is it for Zuo Qianqian?" Ji Wunian asked with a smile, "I heard she is a prodigy, adopted as Sect Master Zuo's foster daughter. A perfect match for you." "In terms of talent, who compares to you?" Chen Ning grumbled, "She's just a spoiled young lady, very annoying…" "An endearing pair, truly a perfect match," Ji Wunian teased, playing with her disciple's hair, "You didn't return to Wuji because of her, did you?" Delicate hands wound around, hair strands intertwined. Moon White caught her constantly fidgeting fingers, pressing them into her lap, and started sorting her disheveled hair again. "Not for her…” Chen Ning answered Ji Wunian's question, his words tinged with a sea-breeze of confusion, “I did think of leaving, but…” “Somehow, I felt a sense of responsibility,” Chen Ning smiled, “I guess I’m learning from you, trying to settle my heart.” “Settling my heart…” Ji Wunian was believed to have settled her heart on Ye Er, and Chen Ning seemed to be influenced by this, deciding not to pursue Ling Zhou but staying at Cangxue, delivering a heavy blow to Ling Zhou after all. Moon White suddenly remembered that day when Chen Ning asked her about Ji Wunian’s attitude if he were with someone else. “...Could it be because of you…” Jiuyi also realized something. Previously, Moon White hadn't thought much of it, but now it seemed that aside from Chen Ning’s final strike, Ji Wunian had predicted everything. She probably didn't believe Chen Ning would be there, and Chen Ning had intended to leave… Could it really be that Ye Er’s few words discouraged him, making him stay in the end? Jiuyi added fuel to Moon White’s thoughts, “...That’s quite the sin…” “It’s also a good thing.” Ji Wunian noticed her little disciple seemed to be zoning out, so she relaxed her hold, pinching her thigh gently. Ye Er didn’t react much. She simply glanced at Ji Wunian lightly, grabbed her wandering hand, and held it firmly. “Ye Er?” “Hmm?” Chen Ning’s voice came through, seeming to dispel the earlier gloom, “Ye Er is there too?” “Of course,” Ji Wunian pulled her closer, smiling by her cheek, “After all, she wanted to learn mechanical puppetry, so I came to you.” Such shamelessness—if it were Moon White, she would have spread her fingers and pushed Ji Wunian away. But since it was Ye Er, she would likely purse her lips, enduring it silently. Ji Wunian awaited curiously, but the young disciple didn’t respond as she expected. “Brother Ning.” Ye Er turned her head slightly, her usual tense demeanor gone, her eyes unfocused, “When you faced Ling Zhou, did you wish to kill him?” “Hmm?” Chen Ning seemed puzzled by her question, “Such an arrogant demonic cultivator should be eradicated by everyone.” Ji Wunian didn't speak, only feeling her hand being gripped tighter. “My cultivation is low; if I encounter a demonic cultivator, I probably wouldn’t be able to protect myself,” the young disciple's voice was soft, her eyelashes fluttering lightly but unable to disturb the stillness of her deep eyes, "Could Brother Ning teach me some simple mechanical techniques for self-defense?” “Why panic?” Ji Wunian embraced her, smiling broadly, “You’ll always have your Master to protect you. Chen Ning, you should teach her some interesting tricks," Ji Wunian ruffled her hair, “to keep her from being bored on the mountain.” “...Protect you?” Jiuyi’s “face” wrinkled up, “She really has the nerve…” Constantly bothered, Moon White didn't argue. She remained indifferent, letting Ji Wunian and Chen Ning banter. In the end, they decided on making a Hun Tian Sphere, to make up for the Yin and Yang studies Ji Wunian hadn’t seriously taught before her seclusion. Chen Ning soon left, called away by his disciples, leaving Ji Wunian and Moon White to work on it. Crafting the Hun Tian Sphere wasn’t difficult. The base could be made of wood or metal, and while the internal part of the sphere was complex, it wasn’t too time-consuming. The most labor-intensive part was embedding the stars on the sphere. Each star had to be precisely placed and aligned, a meticulous task. Since Ji Wunian claimed she was making up for Ye Er's Yin and Yang lessons, naturally, Ye Er would have to embed the stars while she worked on the base. However, after a series of clanging sounds and ruining three sets of materials, the haughty master cheerfully gave up, moved a chair, and watched her young disciple busily working. The leather apron from Ba Chi Peak's equipment sect barely reached the ground on Ye Er, so she had to wrap the thin belt around her waist twice to prevent it from falling further. The thin cords dug into Ye Er’s waist, leaving marks on her inner sect attire, and created an adorable bow at the back with two loops and two dangling strings. Ji Wunian stared at that slender waist in a trance, feeling as if there was some swaying object there, irresistibly attracting her. She reached out and untied the bow. The smooth cords slid away, and the heavy leather apron fell, raising a small cloud of dust. Ye Er bent down, revealing just a tiny bit of her side face, and picked up the apron before continuing her work. Ji Wunian would have to be a fool not to sense the strange silence. She placed her fingers along Ye Er’s curved spine, tracing from top to bottom. "Little Ye, you're quite quiet today." Ye Er was currently smoothing the triangular nanmu base, rounding the edges meticulously, not stopping. "Does Master need her disciple to say something?" Abandoning her small round stool, Ji Wunian leaned against the table, watching those small hands reach for a chisel, intending to carve a tenon into the previously fashioned wooden rod. "What are you thinking about?" The sharp iron chisel, held at a mere inch into the hard wood, could go no further. Moon White applied force but then let go; ultimately, she placed both hands on the table, staring at her unfinished work. “I made a few mistakes earlier. I’m reflecting on them.” Ye Er had been stubborn and defiant before, but this was the first time she showed such despondency. “Reflecting? Reflecting on what?” Ji Wunian instinctively felt it had to do with her earlier conversation with Chen Ning, but she originally didn’t want to hide anything from this girl... Why the self-reflection? “Moon White...” Jiuyi regretted his previous words, “It might not even be your fault...” Moon White knew it wasn’t entirely her fault, but the feelings of guilt, the image of Ji Wunian drenched in blood, the frustration of potential mission failure, and the anger and subtle irritation at the thought that Ji Wunian might have planned her own injury—all these mixed together like a poisonous concoction forcibly poured down her throat, a bitterness more severe than any herb, more cutting than any spice. Jiuyi trembled, “Moon White, don’t take it out on me...” He sensed it. If it were Ji Wunian’s own doing, Moon White would merely show disdain; but now realizing she might be partly to blame for Ji Wunian’s undeserved suffering, a deep-seated dislike and murderous intent rose within her. She couldn’t kill herself, of course, but the thought of “slaughtering Cangxue” Ji White had mentioned before couldn’t help but resurface in his mind. "Calm down…" Jiuyi didn’t know why, but he genuinely feared she might act on it. "I am calm." Moon White was indeed calm, but the complex and indescribable emotions were like a bone stuck in her throat. In her view, Ji Wunian's hand still rested on the table, on a deerskin mat that made her hand seem even whiter. But that day, this very hand had been stained with blood, pressing on a frozen wound, almost turning a blue-white hue. And Ji Wunian’s red robes, at the torn edges, were dripping with blood-soaked threads, clearly a result of forcibly pulled spiritual threads, signifying that Chen Ning’s spear had ripped off a chunk of her flesh before being violently retracted. Among the red droplets scattered on her, was there not flesh shredded by spiritual energy? In the blood she coughed up, were there ice shards from her frozen organs? And what about that blood-stained smile, void of any blame or sorrow? Some details were unconsciously recalled; some complex emotions slowly receded. Moon White felt a strong sense of humiliation. Was the person Moon White wanted to protect rendered in such a wretched state because of her? "Little Ye?" Ji Wunian poked her shoulder, "Ye Er?" "Master," her gaze traced up Ji Wunian’s white robe but didn’t cross over the cloud patterns, stopping lowly, "Is there anything you want me to do today? I'll obey your commands..." "Today?" Ji Wunian was puzzled, "You’ll obey me in everything? Anything?" "Yes." The tiny figure before her, with her head slightly drooped at a proud yet fallen angle. That partially obscured cheek bore a somewhat serious expression, her eyes cast downwards, holding some emotion Ji Wunian couldn't decipher. This wasn't a promise from Ye Er. This was Moon White speaking. Moon White, whose origins and abilities were unknown, possessed treasures unseen and knowledge of secrets unheard of. And now, she was saying she'd obey her? "Though I don't know why you're saying this, but…” Moon White sighed internally, unsure of what Ji Wunian would want. Ji Wunian beamed with a radiant smile, like spring blossoming. "Why only today? At least ten days, right?" "..." Moon White raised her head slightly, confusion in her eyes, her brows twitching. "Ten days is still short, how about a month?" "..." The twitch grew into a small hill. “...A year?” "..." The small hill turned into a big hill. "Ten years would also be fine." Ji Wunian nodded with pride. "..." The big hill became a canyon, lips pressed together tightly. "Two decades isn't long either." Ji Wunian waved two fingers before her. "..." The hills and valleys disappeared; even those expressive eyes closed. Ji Wunian retracted her ring finger, leaving one index finger raised with a smile, "A lifetime, I don’t mind either." A small hand swiftly pressed down on hers, and Moon White's voice sounded weary. "Master, please don't push your luck." "Then ten days!" Stretching out another finger, the two crossed in an ‘X’ in front of Moon White, Ji Wunian’s brows raised, eyes shimmering, “No less than that.” Those born in the Year of the Rabbit, when acting innocent, truly resemble harmless bunnies. The tumultuous emotions in Moon White’s heart seemed to turn into bubbles, swirling upwards and shattering in mid-air, transforming into fine drizzle, leaving behind a sense of resignation and faint joy. “Then ten days it is.”