A Jealous Gaze and Ancient Lore

“Lingyi, did you two find anything worthwhile on your trip? Did you happen to stumble upon a beauty like me?”

“Miss Yu Lian, you truly have a way with words. To praise your own looks so indirectly, I’m practically blushing on your behalf.”

“But I wasn’t speaking falsely. I *am* beautiful; otherwise, the Second Miss wouldn’t have married me, would she?”

“That’s… a valid point.”

“So, so, did you two actually make any gains on this trip?”

Bai Muya, who had been quietly reading by the side, could no longer bear it. She flipped her book face down on the table, took a deep breath, and rose to her feet. Walking to the bedside, she reached out and pinched Yu Lian’s cheek, twisting it gently.

“Can’t you tell if there were any gains? Are you blind? Didn’t you see that only Lingyi and I returned from this trip? And you’re still babbling on and on, it’s deafening.”

Yu Lian turned her face in the direction of the twist, her voice laced with grievance. “How am I supposed to know if you’re hiding a beauty away? What if you brought one back and deliberately kept her from me? There’s no harm in asking, and certainly no crime.”

“Oh, talking back to me now, are we? What did you promise me before? Have you forgotten so soon? Shall I refresh your memory thoroughly?”

“Ah, no, no, there’s no need. I remember now. No need to trouble the Second Miss.” Yu Lian was seething. She had only added one extra sentence, and it was immediately deemed “talking back.” Indeed, no matter how beautiful this woman was, Yu Lian simply couldn’t bring herself to like her.

Bai Muya didn’t make things too difficult for Yu Lian. She released her grip, then tapped Yu Lian’s lips. Her gaze, seemingly reproachful, flickered toward Bai Lingyi before she addressed Yu Lian.

“From now on, if you have any questions or don’t understand something, you can always come and ask me. I can answer them all for you. There’s no need to constantly cling to Lingyi, understand?”

Bai Muya felt it necessary to take precautions. She couldn’t shake the feeling, perhaps a mere illusion, that her concubine seemed less fond of her and more affectionate towards her housekeeper. How could this be? For the concubine she married to grow close to another woman—anyone would be utterly furious, wouldn’t they?

So, whether her suspicions were true or not, this budding situation had to be nipped in the bud immediately.

Bai Lingyi’s heart suddenly turned cold. Being quick-witted, she fully grasped the implication of the Second Miss’s words and actions. The Second Miss suspected a burgeoning intimacy between her and Miss Yu Lian. But the truth was, she had always conducted herself with integrity, harboring no such thoughts toward Miss Yu Lian. This was the Second Miss’s concubine, and furthermore, her heart had only ever held the Second Miss. There was simply no such inclination.

This was also why Bai Lingyi felt such a chill. She trusted and respected the Second Miss implicitly, yet the Second Miss was treating her this way, failing to reciprocate that trust and understanding.

Yu Lian, oblivious to the complex thoughts of the other two, simply assumed the Second Miss disliked her closeness with Lingyi.

‘Heh, just watch how I poach your corner. I’m absolutely set on poaching Lingyi.’

Despite these thoughts, Yu Lian outwardly nodded repeatedly like a pecking chick. “Ah, alright, I’ve taken it to heart. But if I often disturb the Second Miss, will it annoy or anger you?”

“That depends on my mood. If I’m in a good mood and also happen to have free time, I can sit with you all day and slowly answer all your questions.”

‘Good mood, and also happen to have free time—you certainly know how to set conditions, don’t you?’ Yu Lian grumbled inwardly, while her face maintained a bright smile as she obediently nodded.

Seeing that the Second Miss intended to return to her original seat, Yu Lian was about to turn her head to continue teasing Lingyi when her left hand was suddenly seized. Puzzled, she looked back at the Second Miss.

“Second Miss, you…”

“Get up. Come read with me. You’re just idling anyway, so why not read aloud to me?”

“…”

Yu Lian made a mental note. ‘Interrupting me while I flirt with Lingyi, are we? Just you wait, later…’

Under Bai Lingyi’s gaze, Bai Muya dragged the reluctant Yu Lian up and back to her original spot. Yu Lian tried to pull another chair nearby to sit on, but Bai Muya stopped her.

“We are husband and wife; why sit apart so formally? Let’s sit together. You below, me above. I’ll just sit on your lap.”

Without giving Yu Lian a chance to resist or object, Bai Muya pressed her down onto the chair. Then, she settled onto Yu Lian’s clasped thighs, resting her head against Yu Lian’s soft, fragrant chest. In an instant, a sweet fragrance filled the air, as if entering an earthly paradise, so beautiful that Bai Muya couldn’t even open her eyes.

Yu Lian, full of resentment, lowered her head and opened her mouth at the person in her arms, feigning a bite. Finally, she hummed and stopped herself in time, not biting down. No rush; the days were long, and she would have her chance for revenge.

Picking up the unfinished book from the table, Yu Lian’s gaze swept across it. Just as she was about to read the words aloud to the Second Miss, she froze.

This book—it was actually a book detailing tales of yokai.

Ordinary commoners were forbidden from recording matters concerning immortals and immortal families, but yokai were permitted. The immortals did not impose much control over such records.

What Yu Lian held was a book Bai Muya had casually taken from the Bai Residence’s library. Perhaps because the Bai family was a prominent household, this book actually contained a section about an immortal’s deeds. Compared to the pamphlets Yu Lian had seen, this book was an unedited, complete version.

“Mermaids…”

What first caught her eye was a record about mermaids. It was rumored that mermaids possessed the ability to command the sea, often bringing disaster to coastal fishermen. A benevolent immortal, pitying the fishermen, rallied other powerful immortals to collectively encircle and exterminate the mermaids, eradicating the menace.

It had been a great battle. Only the immortals who participated knew the specific details, but the final outcome was that the immortals won. They completely annihilated the mermaid tribe.

Upon reading this, Yu Lian realized this event had occurred five hundred thousand years ago, as mermaids were declared extinct at that time.

‘So that’s the truth?’

Yu Lian felt a sudden doubt. ‘If mermaids were truly wiped out, then where did I come from? Even if reborn, I should have had a birth mother.’ When she had first opened her eyes, she was surrounded by coral reefs, with no sign of a birth mother. She couldn’t figure it out and temporarily suppressed her doubts.

“Why are you so engrossed? Weren’t you going to read to me? Why did you get so caught up in reading it yourself?” Bai Muya’s displeased voice chimed in. “Mermaids? Are you very interested in this?”

“Interest isn’t quite the word. I’m just curious about deeds I haven’t encountered before.” Yu Lian desperately wanted to say, ‘The mermaid is sitting right beneath you.’

Bai Muya, too, grew interested. She snatched the book, holding it up and down. “Yu Lian, do you know what mermaids represent? Longevity, that’s what! It’s something everyone yearns for. If one could catch a mermaid, they could live as long as heaven and earth, never growing old.”

“Second Miss, do you believe this?”

“Why do you seem so unenthusiastic? You ask if I believe it, and of course I do. Because I also desire longevity. I want to live longer than anyone else, to live more freely and unrestrained than anyone else.”