Chapter 469: Whose Child Are You?

Ye Wenxin was on the second floor. When Qiao Ni looked up and saw her, she excitedly shouted, “Sister Wenxin, I’ve missed you so much!” She didn’t hide her joy at seeing Ye Wenxin, and seemed as though she couldn’t wait to fly up and hug her.

Madam Yu, as reserved as ever, lifted her head slightly and gave Ye Wenxin a bright smile. In the sunlight, that smile seemed almost too beautiful. Ye Wenxin immediately thought of the only poem she still remembered. Before she could stop herself, she recited it aloud.

“In the north, lives a beauty,
Unsurpassed, one and only;
One glance destroys a city,
Another topples the whole country.”¹

Her voice wasn’t loud, but cultivators had much sharper hearing than ordinary people. As soon as Ye Wenxin spoke, she noticed that Fairy Fengya was staring directly at her from the rooftop, and even Jin Xiaoqin, who was greeting Madam Yu below, smiled knowingly.

Even Ah Jiu, who was standing at a distance, gave Ye Wenxin a few extra glances, as if surprised she had the ability to recite such a poem.

Madam Yu seemed to have heard her as well. She paused for a moment, but only smiled gently, greeting the others around her with polite grace. Ye Wenxin felt a bit guilty, especially when faced with Jin Xiaoqin’s murderous gaze. She quickly shut the window, already thinking about how to play off what she had just blurted out.

However, everyone appeared to be quite busy due to Madam Yu’s arrival. Ye Wenxin realized she might have been worrying too much. As lunchtime came, she quietly slipped out of her room.

The meal was as simple as ever, but thanks to Nirvana Pavilion’s incredible culinary skills, the dishes tasted exquisite. Furthermore, Madam Yu had traveled far to bring food, allowing Ye Wenxin to enjoy meat she hadn’t tasted in half a month.

In front of others, Qiao Ni remained well-behaved, but she was fixated on Ye Wenxin. If Madam Yu hadn’t given her a subtle warning look, she would have already rushed over to Ye Wenxin, demanding hugs, kisses, and to be lifted high.

But Qiao Ni managed to hold back. At only thirteen, she truly was an understanding and obedient child. Ye Wenxin silently praised the girl, but whenever she thought about the memories she had seen after the Yin Pearl entered her body, she couldn’t help the odd feeling that bubbled up upon looking at Madam Yu.

Her mouth went dry at the thought, so she quickly took a sip of water to cover her awkwardness. Just then, she noticed that Madam Yu seemed to have caught her gaze and gently patted Qiao Ni on the shoulder.

Overjoyed, Qiao Ni immediately ran over and hugged Ye Wenxin.

“Sister! I missed you so much! Come, give me a kiss!” Qiao Ni cheerfully expressed her affection for Ye Wenxin. The display surprised many people around them, especially Gu Xiangsi, whose expression became unreadable upon hearing Qiao Ni call Ye Wenxin ‘Sister’.

Where there were people, drama would ensue, and drama always involved familiar people. With this gathering of familiar faces, Ye Wenxin couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on.

“Sis, you…” Gu Xiangsi only knew that Ye Wenxin had acknowledged Madam Yu as her godmother, but she had never met Qiao Ni, and had no idea the two were so close. Qiao Ni’s appearance stirred a sense of crisis within Gu Xiangsi. She pointed at Qiao Ni for a long time, completely at a loss for words.

Qiao Ni became more brazen. She gave Ye Wenxin a kiss on the cheek, proudly laying her claim over Ye Wenxin.

That kiss not only threw Gu Xiangsi for a loop, but also made Jin Xiaoqin’s brows arch even higher. Even Ghost Mother, who hadn’t shown up for a long time due to her depression, made her appearance. The atmosphere became increasingly awkward, and was starting to overwhelm Ye Wenxin. So Madam Yu walked over to ease the situation.

“It’s been a while, Xin’er. How have you been lately?”

“Godmother.” Ye Wenxin hurriedly greeted her, trying to escape the piercing stares around her. Even though they weren’t under the influence of the peach blossom chains, everyone was staring hungrily at her.

While responding, Ye Wenxin observed the reactions of those around her. She noticed Fairy Fengya sitting alone far from them. No matter how noisy the world around her was, only she could remain so out of place.

Madam Yu seemed to notice Ye Wenxin’s distraction, and stepped in to block her line of sight. “Xin’er. Let’s go somewhere else and chat. I’m sure Ni Ni has a lot to say to you.”

Madam Yu always prioritized Qiao Ni’s feelings, even though it was clear by now that Qiao Ni had no hope of becoming Ye Wenxin’s Dao companion. Still, that didn’t stop Madam Yu’s bias towards her daughter.

Ye Wenxin had long expected this outcome, so she simply nodded, “That’s perfect. It’s been so long since I’ve chatted with you, Godmother.”

She led them both to the room she was staying in. Qiao Ni continued to act spoiled with Ye Wenxin, refusing to let her go. Madam Yu, on the other hand, quietly poured tea for the two of them, making small talk about recent events.

Qiao Ni wasn’t interested in listening to any of those things, and grew bored just waiting. She soon curled up in Ye Wenxin’s arms, falling asleep. Ye Wenxin tried to throw Qiao Ni onto the bed, but she clung tightly to her and refused to let go.

Ye Wenxin had no choice but to give in to Qiao Ni’s clinginess. She glanced over at Madam Yu, who took a sip of tea and carefully observed Qiao Ni for a moment before saying, “Ni Ni is really attached to you. Even as her mother, I can’t compare.”

There was a hint of resentment in Madam Yu’s tone, recalling how many times Qiao Ni had insisted on going to see Ye Wenxin after she left. It had only been several months apart, but Madam Yu couldn’t help fretting whether Qiao Ni might run away from home one day, just to see Ye Wenxin.

“Well, we are close in age, and now I’m also her sister,” Ye Wenxin responded with a smile. Yet doubt still lingered in her heart. Now that Madam Yu was in front of her, a suspicion kept surfacing in her mind.

Ye Wenxin couldn’t help but wonder if Qiao Ni’s close attachment to her, was because Qiao Ni was the child she had conceived with Madam Yu using the Yin Pearl. But if that were true, there would still be too many things left in the air.

The memories were too fuzzy, and because of the peach blossom demon’s meddling, the Yin Pearl and Ghost Mother hadn’t stirred, leaving Ye Wenxin’s head filled with endless questions.

At least this was all Demon Lord Gu Qingcheng’s burden. It had nothing to do with Ye Wenxin, or so she silently reassured herself. Just then, she noticed Madam Yu set down her teacup and sit up straight. In this atmosphere, Ye Wenxin couldn’t shake the worry that Madam Yu’s next words would be something like, ‘Actually, Ni Ni is your child.’

“Is it true that you encountered the Demon Lord?” Thankfully, Madam Yu didn’t bring up the matter of Qiao Ni’s sire. She just asked about the battle that had taken place about a month ago in the woods outside Yangzhou City, between Fairy Fengya and Demon Lord Gu Qingcheng.

Ye Wenxin finally understood why the still-physically frail Madam Yu had been so willing to come all the way here personally. It wasn’t for Yangzhou City—it was for that Demon Lord.

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Footnotes:

1. 1. During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han (under whom the Han dynasty reached its apex), the court musician Li Yannian composed this song (Jiarenqu, The Song of Beauty) about his sister. When the emperor heard the song, he wondered out aloud if such a beauty indeed existed. Li’s sister was thus introduced to him and became a favorite wife of his. Eventually they were buried together.
   
   Source:
   snowlight.livejournal.com/770457.html ↩︎