Chapter 441: First Love

Ye Wenxin remained unaffected and continued applying the medicine. It was becoming more uncomfortable for Abbess Jiunan, so she began reciting scriptures to control her abnormal reactions, but to no avail. Ye Wenxin decided to strike up a casual conversation to ease the tension.

“What scriptures have you been reading lately, Abbess?”

“Mm?”

“Who caused these injuries?”

“Ah.”

Abbess Jiunan felt as if millions of ants were crawling over her—an almost unbearable sensation. The medicine needed to stay on for an hour, before it could be wiped off. It was an agonizing process.

Soon, Abbess Jiunan was in such pain that she felt numb. It seemed she could no longer stand, but still refused to ask Ye Wenxin for help.

Ye Wenxin was admiring Abbess Jiunan’s struggle. In fact, she had intentionally increased the amount of peppermint used in the medicine. She did this partly to gauge the slightly masochistic Abbess Jiunan’s reaction, and partly because peppermint had properties that could accelerate healing. Ye Wenxin mentally calculated how long it would take for Abbess Jiunan to reach her limit, but Abbess Jiunan was already returning to her normal self, as if to overthrow Ye Wenxin’s previous assumptions of her.

The hour passed, finally bringing Abbess Jiunan some relief, and a healthy color returned to her face. She nodded slightly at Ye Wenxin, saying, “Thank you so much, Benefactor Wenxin. If it weren’t for your help, I wouldn’t know what to do.”

Ye Wenxin continued to exchange pleasantries with Abbess Jiunan, but still wondered if there was a problem with her prescription. The pain should have been unbearable for most people, yet Abbess Jiunan was completely able to withstand it.

“I’m glad it worked.”

“I don’t know what herbs were used, but the effect is remarkable,” Abbess Jiunan said with a smile, and seemed simply curious. Ye Wenxin thought for a moment and then mentioned the names of the herbs.

“This is the first time this nun has heard of such a peculiar prescription.”

“Hehehe, it’s a family secret.” Ye Wenxin, disinclined to explain, summarized her knowledge with one sentence, and suddenly recalled Abbess Jiunan’s connection to Ye Clan Village.

“If there are descendants of the Ye Clan, they should be about your age, Benefactor Wenxin.” As expected, Abbess Jiunan brought up Ye Clan Village again. Ye Wenxin smiled, unsure whether Abbess Jiunan was hinting at something, or if she had had contact with the Ye Clan before the massacre.

Regardless, Ye Wenxin had only been in her teens during the village massacre, but her alternate self had not yet been born, and therefore couldn’t have known about events that occurred later.

“You often mention this village, Abbess. Is it because you have some attachment to Ye Clan Village?” Ye Wenxin asked tentatively.

The woods grew more dangerous with the setting sun, and the twilight cast a glow on Abbess Jiunan, making her beauty appear more surreal. Abbess Jiunan smiled softly and replied, “At that time, I had not yet become a nun, and I was in dire straits. If those kind people hadn’t taken me in and helped me recover, I really wouldn’t have known what to do.”

Nostalgia tinged Abbess Jiunan’s. However, her Ye Clan Village seemed completely different from the one Ye Wenxin remembered.

Those people were selfish and calculating. They manipulated Ye Wenxin after realizing she had an Iceborn Constitution, and eventually drove her to a desperate end. But it was also because of this that Ye Wenxin was able to learn Flower Burial and meet Long Qingyue. Ye Wenxin sighed inwardly, listening intently as Abbess Jiunan recounted her memories of Ye Clan Village.

The people who took her in were a simple, honest couple with a son and a daughter. The younger sister was rather taciturn and seemed somewhat mature for her age. The older brother also had a serious demeanor and would often secretly watch Abbess Jiunan.

Abbess Jiunan described these matters as if they had happened just yesterday. She seemed to elaborate much about the brother, so Ye Wenxin joked, “Was this young master your first love, Abbess, someone you can’t forget?”

She figured Abbess Jiunan harbored special feelings for the older brother.

Abbess Jiunan calmly smiled and responded openly, “Yes, I was just beginning to experience love back then, and thought the young master was the best man in the world.”

It wasn’t surprising to hear a woman speaking about her feelings, but Ye Wenxin’s curiosity deepened as she listened to Abbess Jiunan’s descriptions, making her want to hear more.

“That young master promised to marry me once my hair grew long enough to reach my waist.” Abbess Jiunan’s smile became a little embarrassed. Her yearning had grown so great that just before becoming a nun, she went back to the village to find out what had become of that young master.

“And did you meet him?” Ye Wenxin asked with curiosity. If the Ye Clan Village Abbess Jiunan described was indeed the same place where Ye Wenxin had lived, it was possible that the young master in question might have been among those Ye Wenxin had killed.

Ye Wenxin could be Abbess Jiunan’s enemy, considering the circumstances.

“The village had turned into a sea of blood, with corpses everywhere. By the time I arrived, they had been dead for over a month. I couldn’t find that young master, and eventually had to give up and enter the monastic life,” Abbess Jiunan said with sorrow. Ye Wenxin was relieved that she hadn’t actually killed the young master, and then asked, “So, you kept your long hair for that young master?”

Abbess Jiunan smiled mysteriously and said, “Who knows?” She was gently stroking her long hair as if reminiscing about her youth.

For some reason, Ye Wenxin couldn’t help but find this scene a little familiar, but the memories were so distant. Perhaps, once upon a time, she had indeed crossed paths with Abbess Jiunan, but unfortunately, the villainous path Ye Wenxin had chosen had sealed certain fates.

Ye Wenxin decided not to press further and returned to the camp with Abbess Jiunan.

Many people greeted Abbess Jiunan, clearly showing that the approachable abbess was far more popular than a certain emotionless woman. They also seemed curious about Ye Wenxin, mistaking her for a young nun under Abbess Jiunan’s tutelage because of her hair.

“I’m Ye Wenxin, a disciple of the Azure Wings Sect,” Ye Wenxin awkwardly clarified, desperately trying to disassociate herself from any connection to becoming a nun.

Abbess Jiunan explained with a smile, “But Benefactor Wenxin has a deep affinity with Buddhism. I believe it won’t be long before she leaves the Azure Wings Sect to join the Southern Dipper Temple.”