A Shared Burden in the Quiet Night

After the bed was made, the princess was finally willing to go to bed.

After taking the elixir from her storage ring and recovering from her injuries, she slowly climbed onto the bed without taking off her clothes.

Although she possessed a sharp, snake-like face, she was, after all, a well-endowed maiden. This fact couldn’t help but stir a tiny, minuscule, almost imperceptible sliver of pity within Lin Mo.

However, Lin Mo also found himself admiring her; only hours after her tearful outburst did she recall that her nose was still crooked.

Lin Mo lay on the bed, his hands clasped behind his head, gazing at the ceiling.

He was overcome by a peculiar sensation.

It wasn’t the kind of dramatic anime trope where one suddenly falls in love.

It was related to Ji Xue, a feeling of ease.

Despite her atrocious, haughty demeanor, for some inexplicable reason, after giving her a beating, his mood felt remarkably lighter.

‘What the hell… am I a sadist? Was I constantly suppressed because of Qiu Yue, and now that I can suddenly beat someone, I’ve awakened?’

‘Ha, I’m overthinking it.’

Lin Mo knew with certainty that this was not the fleeting pleasure of beating someone.

This sensation… it was like being with Yang Po Po… no… how should he put it, like with Yang Po Po, he felt completely at ease in her presence.

Yet, it wasn’t the kind of forced cheerfulness found in adversity.

It was as if… in front of this person, he could shed some burden.

No need to plaster on a smile, no need to force himself; he could cry, laugh, or get angry as he pleased…

A considerable sense of freedom?

However, no sooner had this thought emerged than Lin Mo himself chuckled at its absurdity.

How could it be? He and Ji Xue had only known each other for a few days; how could such a subtle feeling exist?

It was purely his own overthinking.

Perhaps it was only after leaving Qiu Yue and Mu Qingli, feeling entirely unburdened, that such preposterous notions arose.

Was he not also quite happy when he was with Liu Ruyan?

‘Right…’

“Hey, tomboy…”

Ji Xue’s slightly hoarse voice suddenly cut through the darkness, sharply pulling Lin Mo’s wandering thoughts back to reality.

Their beds were so close, separated only by a small, palm-width low cabinet.

“I’m not returning the spirit stones!” Lin Mo instantly clutched his storage ring!

“…Do you truly believe I lack for such paltry sums?”

“Who knows~ You’re not in the imperial palace anymore, and if you’re secretly calculating in your bed that you’re running out of money, it’s not impossible you’d want it back.”

“…Hmph, you pauper. I wanted to ask you about something else…”

Ji Xue remained with her back to Lin Mo, not turning around, her entire body seemingly curled up, buried deep within the bedding, resembling a burial mound.

“Our relationship doesn’t seem to be that good, does it?”

No sooner had Lin Mo finished speaking than a spirit stone was tossed over, landing precisely beside his pillow!

The faint blue spirit stone striking the pillow made an excessively crisp sound.

Lin Mo instinctively sprang up and snatched it, the spirit stone already firmly clasped in his palm, and in a flash, it was tucked deep into his storage ring!

“What does Your Highness wish to know? Wan’er will certainly speak without reservation~”

Lin Mo, quick-witted, immediately stowed it in his storage ring, fearing the rich lady might change her mind.

Money was crucial.

It was precisely because he lacked money that he couldn’t take the dark path, couldn’t leave the Qiu family, and was then forced into the Xuan Nv Sect, kidnapped by the Sect Master.

Alas… it was all tears.

Qiu Yue still owed him spirit stones, after all.

“…The ‘Bright Jade Profound Yin’ is very important to the Xuan Nv Sect, isn’t it?” Ji Xue asked, her voice very soft.

“I just arrived; how would I know? Next question.”

“…What about you, then?” a muffled interrogation came from within the quilt, “Bearing the title of the Sect Master’s personal disciple, yet your cultivation technique compatibility is so dreadful… aren’t you ashamed to only achieve a B-grade?”

Indeed, in the quiet of the deep night, when emotions ran high, even the imperious imperial princess spoke with a fragile softness.

“How many days have I been practicing? A B-grade isn’t bad. It doesn’t matter; I’ll just gradually master the cultivation technique later.”

Lin Mo was indifferent to such rankings; for him, the focus was on the upcoming disciple sparring sessions.

Failing there would truly be the end.

“Suppose… your mother were the Sect Master, and she placed all her expectations on you, yet you couldn’t cultivate properly, your progress remained slow, always failing to master the technique, unable to break through to Foundation Establishment even after a year… and then new disciples arrived, superior and stronger than you, and your mother grew fond of them… even gradually alienated you, or even abandoned you entirely. Would you still be so composed then?”

These words clearly reflected her own predicament.

Lin Mo had been indifferent to everything before, but he could not lightly dismiss these final words.

While he might think of himself as great and selfless in his mind and outwardly, how could he truly achieve complete serenity?

…The matter of being abandoned by his mother.

“…” Lin Mo couldn’t answer, merely placing a spirit stone on the bedside table. “I… can’t answer. Take it back.”

“Nonsense, once something is given, there’s no reason to take it back. I don’t want it.”

After a moment, Ji Xue’s ‘burial mound’ trembled slightly.

“Cultivation technique compatibility… what if I pour my life into it and still can’t master it?”

A choked sob mingled with the chattering of her teeth: “I… ran here…”

Gasps, silence, a struggle on the verge of collapse: “They told me… the Xuan Nv Sect has a way, that all disciples from the Xuan Nv Sect have extremely high cultivation technique compatibility… I thought there was some method… but… but it turns out to be… a change…”

Each word was a nail driven into the dead silence: “But once the cultivation technique is changed… I… will no longer be an imperial princess… I’ll have no money… no place to live… and even… even my imperial mother… will no longer be my imperial mother…”

“Tomboy… am I… truly so useless…? I practiced for so long, yet I can’t even compare to a month-old waste like you…”

She suddenly clutched the corner of the quilt, her knuckles stark white and tense: “Am I… truly not my imperial mother’s child…? Am I unworthy?”

The tranquil night, with each trembling word from Ji Xue, was utterly shattered.

She cried not because she lost to him, but because she recognized a harsh reality—the imperial dynasty had no place for an abandoned child who couldn’t master the family’s inherited cultivation technique.

Just like him.

He, however, could only lie paralyzed on his bed, listening to the rustling of luggage being packed in the adjacent room, silently weeping through gritted teeth.

‘Cry a little louder…’

‘Then Mother won’t be able to leave so far.’

‘The freedom Mother was willing to abandon me for must be wonderful, mustn’t it?’

‘After everything is over, I must go and see it.’

‘Although not in the same world, the so-called freedom must be the same.’

With such similar experiences, Lin Mo didn’t know how to comfort Ji Xue; though similar, their experiences were fundamentally different.

Lin Mo was a cage.

Ji Xue was a tool for maintaining rule.

Lin Mo wanted to say something, but every word felt stuck in his throat, impossible to utter lightly.

He could only listen quietly.

Ji Xue spoke a great deal, and Lin Mo listened intently.

He heard her night-time sobs and complaints, her hardships and anxieties, and listened as her ragged breathing slowly evened out with time, gradually falling asleep, emitting soft snores.

‘Sleep.’

‘Tomorrow, there’s still assembly.’

‘Mother… I hope you are well.’

The tranquil night enveloped those in slumber, gently caressing their joys and sorrows.

However, some individuals had no need for sleep.

Mu Qingli, after a long absence, arrived at her master’s dwelling, where everything remained spotless, precisely as her master had left it.

It was as if her master were still there.

It was as if she could still hear her master’s gentle, smiling voice recounting those strange and fascinating tales, the images of massive iron birds buzzing across the sky, and various square boxes rapidly traversing along paths of light, seemingly still floating before her eyes…

Only this time, the master who told the stories was gone, leaving only herself, speaking to a plaque about her own affairs.

Mu Qingli’s fingertips unconsciously traced the rough wooden surface of a chair as she murmured, “Master, there is still hope for the ‘Bright Jade Profound Yin’. Your disciple… has taken on a new pupil…”

She paused, her clear, cold voice growing slightly hoarse in the empty room: “His talent… is exceptional. When cultivating, he experiences none of the heart-wrenching repulsion that your disciple once did…”

Another long silence followed, as if she were gathering the courage to speak: “He… is quite extraordinary… very obedient, very loyal, and possesses great perseverance and courage. Master, just as you said, men are not all contemptible…”

“Oh, right, Master, your grand-disciple—” She suddenly raised her voice, striving to break the oppressive weight of the silence, “His name is… Lin Mo.”

No sooner had her words fallen than a wisp of faint wind, from an unknown source, swirled past the scroll before the offering altar, sweeping up to the rafters, stirring the stillness.

Two flimsy square paper slips suddenly fluttered down from a faded crack in the rafters, spinning as they descended.

Mu Qingli’s gaze sharpened slightly, and spiritual energy flowed like water from her fingertips, invisibly guiding the paper slips into her palm.

A chilling sensation spread along the surface of the paper.

The script on the pages was neat and clear, yet the edges were water-stained and somewhat blurred, bearing the traces of being held and rubbed.

“‘Train ticket…?’” Mu Qingli’s fingertips brushed the paper, her brows furrowing slightly. “What is this thing?”

Though individual characters were discernible, the combined words were like ancient, dust-covered talismans, casting a haze of bewilderment over her heart.

Suddenly—

Her gaze locked onto the ink-stained characters!

One of the slips… was shockingly branded with her Master’s name!

But even more glaring words, like icy daggers, pierced her eyes—

On the second yellowed slip… the two characters ‘Lin Mo’ were like a scorching hot iron, making her fingertips tremble violently!