87 - The Cannon Fodder is Prepared to Divorce

Chapter 87 After finishing her conversation with Pu Shi, Yue Bai dispersed her form and returned to the Qinglin Palace. In a side hall, Qin Shuang was still sleeping soundly, and Yue Bai sat by the bedside, lightly tapping her on the nose. "Yue Bai?" Jiuyi was puzzled about the recent task. "What are we going to do now?" Yue Bai shook her head and exhaled softly. "We wait." The secret letter had been sent out last night. With her current skills, she still couldn’t trace something she had never seen before. Moreover, from Ji Wunian's perspective, she felt that even intercepting the letter would be futile. "Huh?" Jiuyi still didn't understand. "What do you mean?" "Sending the letter was to invite the Yao tribe to discuss a matter," Yue Bai explained wearily. "Preventing the sect leader from sending it was to avoid involving the Sanqing sect. If Ji Wunian really didn’t want the letter sent, she wouldn’t need to steal the Sanqing sect’s leader’s seal..." This statement was somewhat uncertain. Regardless, "Now, by inviting Pu Shi in my name, it has nothing to do with Sanqing. Pu Shi understands." Which is why he teased her. Initially, Yue Bai had only made a suggestion, but now, she truly found herself drawn into the game. Pu Shi sent the black dragon trusting her; and ensuring the black dragon's safety in Sanqing was her responsibility. "Oh..." Jiuyi seemed to partially understand. "So, what do we wait for now?" "We wait for her," Yue Bai said. "To see if she will intercept the letter." "... What if she doesn’t intercept it?" Jiuyi started to worry. "What if the mission fails?" "Then there's nothing we can do," Yue Bai was once again irritated by Jiuyi’s questions. "I can't just stay beside Pu Shi all the time, can I?" "But..." Jiuyi hesitated further. "...It's not impossible." "And how do we go about it?" Yue Bai exhaled deeply, trying her best not to get angry. "Storm the Yao Palace? Kidnap the Yao Emperor? Intercept all his communication? We don’t even know the form of the letter; it might already be in Pu Shi's hands..." There were too many possibilities. "Anyway," Yue Bai tried to stay calm, "Let's see what your punishment entails." She didn't believe that failing such a task would really tear her soul apart. Having some understanding was better. "But why..." Jiuyi felt increasingly uncomfortable. "Why does she have to suffer..." Yue Bai hadn’t done anything wrong. Yue Bai didn’t understand how a system holding her hostage could ask "why." She wanted to ask the same thing herself. But even if she asked, it would be futile. What would come, would come. When Ji Wunian returned, she saw the light still on in the side hall. Quietly pushing open the door, she saw her little apprentice sitting alone at the table, looking out the window at the crescent moon. On the bed, Qin Shuang was still asleep, her silver hair gleaming softly in the moonlight. "Why aren’t you sleeping?" Ji Wunian's voice was soft, her movements quieter. Walking over to Yue Bai, she took her into her arms, smiling warmly. "Were you waiting for me?" Yue Bai, still feeling perturbed, put down the teacup she'd been holding. "Master, you're joking. I just got up to have some water." ...A cup of water was a meticulous enough reason to dress completely? Ji Wunian sensed her bad mood and, recalling her earlier unease, kissed her cheek tenderly. "I just talked with the sect leader. In a few days, people from Wuji Cangxue will come. You might even see Ning Sheng again..." Ning Sheng... Ning Chen. It would have been better if she hadn’t mentioned him. Hearing his name only made Yue Bai more agitated. "I heard Senior Brother Ning is actually the young palace master Ning Chen in Wuji. His fame spread after severely injuring Lingzhou during the recent Cangxue event," Yue Bai sipped her tea, trying to suppress her inner irritation, maintaining a calm tone. "If he asks for another token of love, what will you give?" Another wound, perhaps? Yue Bai smiled faintly, but Ji Wunian felt a chill down her back. It seemed she had made her even more upset. "Of course, I won’t give him anything," Ji Wunian wisely filled Yue Bai's empty cup. "If he wants love, he can earn it himself." "Such survival instincts..." Jiuyi observed Ji Wunian’s obsequious behavior with a tsk, "... Tsk, tsk." Yue Bai sighed, holding her tea cup in both hands, watching the water pour in. "Thank you, Master." Seeing the slight frown on her face, Ji Wunian leaned in to kiss her cheek. "What's wrong? Why so upset suddenly?" Even when entangled by Ji Wunian, she was never this unsettled. Ji Wunian couldn’t figure out what caused this sudden mood change. "Master... are you planning any mischief lately?" Yue Bai sipped her tea and asked wearily. She did not know where Ji Wunian would start if she wanted to intercept the letter, nor where the letter would end up. She only guessed that Ji Wunian might need to leave Sanqing to seek it, hence the question. But regardless, the mission was beyond her control and was quite frustrating. Ji Wunian hesitated for a moment, then laughed softly in her ear. "What are you thinking? Do you really expect me to cause trouble? Did you bet on me?" Yue Bai shook her head and took another sip of tea. Ji Wunian put down the person in her arms, seated herself beside her, and poured a cup of tea for herself, laughing. "I’m not planning any trouble recently, just minimizing issues." ... She had nearly broken into the sect's forbidden area to steal the sect leader’s seal just a moment ago. The tea had cooled, and Yue Bai felt a sense of helplessness washing over her. The words from Master Ji Wunian meant nothing to her. "Rest assured," Ji Wunian leaned in to kiss her on the forehead, smiling brightly. "I'll be here in the palace with you and Little Shuang." ... So she wouldn't personally go intercept the letter. This answer made Yue Bai feel slightly better. If it had just been a fleeting thought like seeing the emperor, it shouldn’t affect the progress much. She had already invited Pu Shi, so at least the task of "luring Pu Shi to Sanqing" could be completed. As for the punishment for failure, Yue Bai could only say now, wait and see. "... You’re just passively slacking," Jiuyi criticized her. "Not good for mental health." "Whatever," Yue Bai replied. "Running around the world anxiously searching for a secret letter isn't feasible." Because it wasn’t feasible, Yue Bai chose to let it go, unwilling to waste her energy on a hopeless task. Holding the tea cup, the little apprentice turned it tensely for what seemed like dozens of times without drinking. Her eyes were dull and unfocused, suggesting she wasn’t thinking about anything pleasant. Seeing her like this was rare. Putting down his teacup, Ji Wunian silently walked over, one hand slipping behind her back, the other under her legs. Suddenly losing her balance, Yue Bai barely had time to let go of her cup before being lifted in the air. "Master?" Some of the water spilled onto Yue Bai's sleeve, but fortunately, Ji Wunian froze the droplets in mid-air, letting them and the cup return to the table. Surprised, Yue Bai looked at her, but Ji Wunian closed the distance, kissing her on the cheek. "Seeing you in such a bad mood tonight, sleep with me." Jiuyi: "What does this have to do with anything???" "... She’s still here." Carrying her out, Ji Wunian teased the apprentice in her arms, "I'll get you back before she wakes up." Jiuyi felt things were heading in an odd direction, "... Do I need to leave?" They wouldn’t really...? Yue Bai guessed she wouldn’t, and Ji Wunian indeed didn’t. She only placed the little apprentice on the bed, holding her close, providing some warmth. Though Ji Wunian cultivated cold energy, she felt like a little sun, warm all year round. "Rest well," she whispered, kissing Yue Bai’s forehead, "I’m with you." During the day, she disturbed Yue Bai’s sleep, and now she had to comfort her. Sometimes Yue Bai genuinely wanted to punch her, such a nuisance. But today, various thoughts weighed down on her, including the shadow of mission failure, leaving her energy-drained and unable to bicker with Ji Wunian, resigned and passive. As Yue Bai closed her eyes, still annoyed but needing to calm her mind, Ji Wunian didn’t further bother her, half propped up on her arm, gently patting her back. The two remained quiet for the night. At dawn, Yue Bai heard Jiuyi's voice, "‘Intercept Sect Leader’s Secret Letter’ mission failed." With the dust settled, Yue Bai’s heart felt a rare sense of relief, then calmly awaited further details, which seemed to be none. She speculated, "Punishment?" Jiuyi hesitated, "It seems... there is none..." ... It probably wasn’t a serious attempt. Just another spur-of-the-moment outburst. Moving a bit, Yue Bai sat up from Ji Wunian's embrace, supporting herself with one hand, rubbing her head with the other. The one who had held her followed suit, reaching over to gently press on her head’s acupoints, massaging lightly. "Feeling better?" Yue Bai nodded softly, "Thank you, Master." ... Covered well for now. Ji Wunian chuckled, pulling her closer into her arms, "Would you like to talk about it?" Being a little trickster, she wanted to coax words out of her. Yue Bai knew Ji Wunian didn't mean to cause her trouble, but it was hard to talk about. Although she felt somewhat aggrieved, her rational side told her it wasn’t Ji Wunian's fault. She shook her head, "Just a bit tired. Don’t worry, Master." "Tired?" ... Was it because of the previous night's troublemaking? Ji Wunian knew Yue Bai’s health had slightly improved, but she was also helping Qin Shuang manage magic energy lately, aware that task itself was troublesome... Whether combined or not, perhaps it had added quite a burden. Chapter 87 After finishing her conversation with Pu Shi, Yue Bai dispersed her form and returned to the Qinglin Palace. In a side hall, Qin Shuang was still sleeping soundly, and Yue Bai sat by the bedside, lightly tapping her on the nose. "Yue Bai?" Jiuyi was puzzled about the recent task. "What are we going to do now?" Yue Bai shook her head and exhaled softly. "We wait." The secret letter had been sent out last night. With her current skills, she still couldn’t trace something she had never seen before. Moreover, from Ji Wunian's perspective, she felt that even intercepting the letter would be futile. "Huh?" Jiuyi still didn't understand. "What do you mean?" "Sending the letter was to invite the Yao tribe to discuss a matter," Yue Bai explained wearily. "Preventing the sect leader from sending it was to avoid involving the Sanqing sect. If Ji Wunian really didn’t want the letter sent, she wouldn’t need to steal the Sanqing sect’s leader’s seal..." This statement was somewhat uncertain. Regardless, "Now, by inviting Pu Shi in my name, it has nothing to do with Sanqing. Pu Shi understands." Which is why he teased her. Initially, Yue Bai had only made a suggestion, but now, she truly found herself drawn into the game. Pu Shi sent the black dragon trusting her; and ensuring the black dragon's safety in Sanqing was her responsibility. "Oh..." Jiuyi seemed to partially understand. "So, what do we wait for now?" "We wait for her," Yue Bai said. "To see if she will intercept the letter." "... What if she doesn’t intercept it?" Jiuyi started to worry. "What if the mission fails?" "Then there's nothing we can do," Yue Bai was once again irritated by Jiuyi’s questions. "I can't just stay beside Pu Shi all the time, can I?" "But..." Jiuyi hesitated further. "...It's not impossible." "And how do we go about it?" Yue Bai exhaled deeply, trying her best not to get angry. "Storm the Yao Palace? Kidnap the Yao Emperor? Intercept all his communication? We don’t even know the form of the letter; it might already be in Pu Shi's hands..." There were too many possibilities. "Anyway," Yue Bai tried to stay calm, "Let's see what your punishment entails." She didn't believe that failing such a task would really tear her soul apart. Having some understanding was better. "But why..." Jiuyi felt increasingly uncomfortable. "Why does she have to suffer..." Yue Bai hadn’t done anything wrong. Yue Bai didn’t understand how a system holding her hostage could ask "why." She wanted to ask the same thing herself. But even if she asked, it would be futile. What would come, would come. When Ji Wunian returned, she saw the light still on in the side hall. Quietly pushing open the door, she saw her little apprentice sitting alone at the table, looking out the window at the crescent moon. On the bed, Qin Shuang was still asleep, her silver hair gleaming softly in the moonlight. "Why aren’t you sleeping?" Ji Wunian's voice was soft, her movements quieter. Walking over to Yue Bai, she took her into her arms, smiling warmly. "Were you waiting for me?" Yue Bai, still feeling perturbed, put down the teacup she'd been holding. "Master, you're joking. I just got up to have some water." ...A cup of water was a meticulous enough reason to dress completely? Ji Wunian sensed her bad mood and, recalling her earlier unease, kissed her cheek tenderly. "I just talked with the sect leader. In a few days, people from Wuji Cangxue will come. You might even see Ning Sheng again..." Ning Sheng... Ning Chen. It would have been better if she hadn’t mentioned him. Hearing his name only made Yue Bai more agitated. "I heard Senior Brother Ning is actually the young palace master Ning Chen in Wuji. His fame spread after severely injuring Lingzhou during the recent Cangxue event," Yue Bai sipped her tea, trying to suppress her inner irritation, maintaining a calm tone. "If he asks for another token of love, what will you give?" Another wound, perhaps? Yue Bai smiled faintly, but Ji Wunian felt a chill down her back. It seemed she had made her even more upset. "Of course, I won’t give him anything," Ji Wunian wisely filled Yue Bai's empty cup. "If he wants love, he can earn it himself." "Such survival instincts..." Jiuyi observed Ji Wunian’s obsequious behavior with a tsk, "... Tsk, tsk." Yue Bai sighed, holding her tea cup in both hands, watching the water pour in. "Thank you, Master." Seeing the slight frown on her face, Ji Wunian leaned in to kiss her cheek. "What's wrong? Why so upset suddenly?" Even when entangled by Ji Wunian, she was never this unsettled. Ji Wunian couldn’t figure out what caused this sudden mood change. "Master... are you planning any mischief lately?" Yue Bai sipped her tea and asked wearily. She did not know where Ji Wunian would start if she wanted to intercept the letter, nor where the letter would end up. She only guessed that Ji Wunian might need to leave Sanqing to seek it, hence the question. But regardless, the mission was beyond her control and was quite frustrating. Ji Wunian hesitated for a moment, then laughed softly in her ear. "What are you thinking? Do you really expect me to cause trouble? Did you bet on me?" Yue Bai shook her head and took another sip of tea. Ji Wunian put down the person in her arms, seated herself beside her, and poured a cup of tea for herself, laughing. "I’m not planning any trouble recently, just minimizing issues." ... She had nearly broken into the sect's forbidden area to steal the sect leader’s seal just a moment ago. The tea had cooled, and Yue Bai felt a sense of helplessness washing over her. The words from Master Ji Wunian meant nothing to her. "Rest assured," Ji Wunian leaned in to kiss her on the forehead, smiling brightly. "I'll be here in the palace with you and Little Shuang." ... So she wouldn't personally go intercept the letter. This answer made Yue Bai feel slightly better. If it had just been a fleeting thought like seeing the emperor, it shouldn’t affect the progress much. She had already invited Pu Shi, so at least the task of "luring Pu Shi to Sanqing" could be completed. As for the punishment for failure, Yue Bai could only say now, wait and see. "... You’re just passively slacking," Jiuyi criticized her. "Not good for mental health." "Whatever," Yue Bai replied. "Running around the world anxiously searching for a secret letter isn't feasible." Because it wasn’t feasible, Yue Bai chose to let it go, unwilling to waste her energy on a hopeless task. Holding the tea cup, the little apprentice turned it tensely for what seemed like dozens of times without drinking. Her eyes were dull and unfocused, suggesting she wasn’t thinking about anything pleasant. Seeing her like this was rare. Putting down his teacup, Ji Wunian silently walked over, one hand slipping behind her back, the other under her legs. Suddenly losing her balance, Yue Bai barely had time to let go of her cup before being lifted in the air. "Master?" Some of the water spilled onto Yue Bai's sleeve, but fortunately, Ji Wunian froze the droplets in mid-air, letting them and the cup return to the table. Surprised, Yue Bai looked at her, but Ji Wunian closed the distance, kissing her on the cheek. "Seeing you in such a bad mood tonight, sleep with me." Jiuyi: "What does this have to do with anything???" "... She’s still here." Carrying her out, Ji Wunian teased the apprentice in her arms, "I'll get you back before she wakes up." Jiuyi felt things were heading in an odd direction, "... Do I need to leave?" They wouldn’t really...? Yue Bai guessed she wouldn’t, and Ji Wunian indeed didn’t. She only placed the little apprentice on the bed, holding her close, providing some warmth. Though Ji Wunian cultivated cold energy, she felt like a little sun, warm all year round. "Rest well," she whispered, kissing Yue Bai’s forehead, "I’m with you." During the day, she disturbed Yue Bai’s sleep, and now she had to comfort her. Sometimes Yue Bai genuinely wanted to punch her, such a nuisance. But today, various thoughts weighed down on her, including the shadow of mission failure, leaving her energy-drained and unable to bicker with Ji Wunian, resigned and passive. As Yue Bai closed her eyes, still annoyed but needing to calm her mind, Ji Wunian didn’t further bother her, half propped up on her arm, gently patting her back. The two remained quiet for the night. At dawn, Yue Bai heard Jiuyi's voice, "‘Intercept Sect Leader’s Secret Letter’ mission failed." With the dust settled, Yue Bai’s heart felt a rare sense of relief, then calmly awaited further details, which seemed to be none. She speculated, "Punishment?" Jiuyi hesitated, "It seems... there is none..." ... It probably wasn’t a serious attempt. Just another spur-of-the-moment outburst. Moving a bit, Yue Bai sat up from Ji Wunian's embrace, supporting herself with one hand, rubbing her head with the other. The one who had held her followed suit, reaching over to gently press on her head’s acupoints, massaging lightly. "Feeling better?" Yue Bai nodded softly, "Thank you, Master." ... Covered well for now. Ji Wunian chuckled, pulling her closer into her arms, "Would you like to talk about it?" Being a little trickster, she wanted to coax words out of her. Yue Bai knew Ji Wunian didn't mean to cause her trouble, but it was hard to talk about. Although she felt somewhat aggrieved, her rational side told her it wasn’t Ji Wunian's fault. She shook her head, "Just a bit tired. Don’t worry, Master." "Tired?" ... Was it because of the previous night's troublemaking? Ji Wunian knew Yue Bai’s health had slightly improved, but she was also helping Qin Shuang manage magic energy lately, aware that task itself was troublesome... Whether combined or not, perhaps it had added quite a burden. Ji Wunian looked at her side, feeling a bit guilty. "You should rest these days. I'll take care of Xiao Shuang." Yue Bai guessed Ji Wunian misunderstood, but her sincere demeanor and genuine concern couldn’t be faked. This was a perfect opportunity for Yue Bai’s vengeful nature. She smiled. "Would Master kindly let me go and make some breakfast?" No problem with breakfast, but letting her go wasn’t an option. Ji Wunian tightened her hold, smiling. "What does my disciple want to eat? Master will make it for you." Yesterday's meal made by Ji Wunian wasn’t as refined as Yue Bai’s, but it tasted good. "Can you make steamed buns, Master?" Yue Bai didn’t want to make it too hard, "We still have meat filling; just wrap it." "Underestimating me?" Ji Wunian raised an eyebrow. "Your master is a jack of all trades." A master who was terrible at forging tools and couldn’t even make a proper base for a sky realm sphere; let alone felt magic power... Yue Bai didn’t point it out, instead letting Ji Wunian cast two cleansing spells on herself before following her to the kitchen. Ji Wunian started the fire, kneaded the dough, and wrapped the buns skillfully, showing no signs of awkwardness. "...She’s supposed to be a princess, right?" Jiuyi found it strange. "Who would have thought." Yue Bai could tell Ji Wunian wasn’t pampered, but seeing her be so adept in the kitchen was surprising. The buns she made were neat with uniform pleats, the dough thin and translucent. They would look great once steamed. "Xiao Shuang should be waking up soon," Ji Wunian felt steamed buns alone weren’t enough. Seeing leftover meat filling, she decided to make some wontons and soup as well. Busy with her back turned to Yue Bai, she said, "You go keep her company." Yue Bai complied, and when she entered the side hall, Qin Shuang was indeed rubbing her eyes on the bed. Hearing the door, she called out groggily, "Divinity..." The divinity dressed her, brought water for her to wash up. Since the divinity liked it, she even re-braided her hair, making her a neat little girl once more. Ji Wunian prepared the food and brought it to the side hall, waiting at the table for them. "It's a bit chilly outside today," Ji Wunian set the table. "So we won’t eat outside." Yue Bai led Qin Shuang to the table. Ji Wunian, being very mindful, pulled Qin Shuang onto her lap. "Xiao Shuang, would you like Wu Nian to feed you today?" Qin Shuang looked confused, her silver eyes shifting between Yue Bai and Ji Wunian several times before nodding hesitantly. "...Okay." The child was naturally closer to Ji Wunian because of her care, and Ji Wunian was glad for it. More so because she felt guilty for not helping with the magic energy issue, but she was eager to help in ways she could. Usually, Qin Shuang was more attached to Yue Bai. Ji Wunian didn’t want to force her away, but seeing Qin Shuang accepting her care now, Ji Wunian felt a small dead corner of her heart spring to life. "...Have you both started heading towards ‘virtuous wife and good mother’ roles?" Jiuyi couldn’t understand the drama, commenting. "How come one’s more motherly than the other?" Yue Bai was one thing, but even Ji Wunian... Yue Bai observed Ji Wunian’s increasing affection towards Qin Shuang and realized she wasn’t just attentive, but seemed to understand Qin Shuang’s preferences well. Initially, Yue Bai suspected Ji Wunian was well-acquainted with Mu Tianwen, but the more she looked, the more she felt Ji Wunian’s delicate care for a blind child didn’t fit Mingyun Pavilion master... The little trickster was full of mysteries that Yue Bai would unravel one by one.