"...Ugh."
Bai Shuying groaned in her sleep. She felt pressure on her left and right sides.
As she started to wake, she felt her arms cushioned by something soft and warm. Bai Shuying slowly opened her eyes, looking at the wooden ceiling. She turned her head to the left and saw Hux Xiran softly breathing, then she turned her head to the right and saw Su Meilin's sleeping face. Bai Shuying, not sure what was going on, spent a moment turning her head left and right and soon became dazed.
Wha-what is happening?!
Bai Shuying thought in confusion.
Her mind was in chaos, and she did not notice Hua Xiran slightly open her eyes, looking at her, and a smile formed on her face. Hua Xiran purposely exhaled a breath of air on Bai Shuying's neck, making her shiver.
I-I can't stay like this!
Bai Shuying thought with determination.
Bai Shuying looked at Su Meilin and saw her arm trapped between her assets, which made her blush. Bai Shuying wiggled her arm and slipped it out of Su Meilin's grasp.
Phew, thank goodness I have the flexibility trait.
Bai Shuying thought.
Bai Shuying felt Hua Xiran tighten her grasp and press her large assets on her left arm. Bai Shuying froze for a moment, then turned her attention to the sleeping Hua Xiran.
I don't want to wake the master up, but this is too much stimulation for a young person like me.
Bai Shuying thought in distress.
Bai Shuying focused on her left arm, repeating what she did with her right arm, and slipped out of Hua Xiran's hold.
Hmm, why is master's face… red?... Must be my imagination.
Bai Shuying thought.
Hua Xiran blushed because she never expected Bai Shuying to escape, and the friction caused by her removing her arm made Hua Xiran clamp her legs. Bai Shuying quickly placed a pillow in the spot where she was sleeping and hurriedly ran away.
Seeing that Bai Shuying had already left, Hua Xiran opened her eyes. Next to her was a pillow, and beside the pillow was a peacefully sleeping Su Meilin.
Sigh, I wish she had slept longer.
Hua Xiran thought.
Hua Xiran found her relationship with Bai Shuying to be unique and interesting. In the entire Yin-Yang Sect, she only had a close relationship with Hua Qingyan and Su Meilin. Hua Qingyan was her mother, and Su Meilin was like a daughter; she yearned for a special kind of relationship. Hua Xiran wanted a partner; growing up without a father and listening to her mother speak about the importance of a dao companion made her dream of having one. But due to her physique and her cultivation technique, which made it nearly impossible for her to have one, her heart became extremely bitter.
Repressing the feelings in her heart for years until Su Meilin brought Bai Shuying to her.
Hua Xiran was surprised that the two conditions she had to look for in a partner, which were nearly impossible: a pure Yin energy and a high amount of it, appeared in the same person at that moment. Hua Xiran felt it was some sort of fate.
In the beginning, it may have been a way to increase her cultivation, but as she learned more about Bai Shuying, she wanted to make her happy.
The repressed feelings she had started to release little by little. She wanted to speak with Bai Shuying more, she wanted to interact with her more, and she wanted to spend more time with her.
Hua Xiran's emerald eyes started to darken as she whispered, "Shuying…"
…
Unaware of her master's heavy love, Bai Shuying happily walked towards the task hall to submit the second volume of her book.
After entering the Task Hall, Bai Shuying met Elder Ling, collecting her profits and introducing the second volume of her book, Love in the Ashes.
"Oh, is this the second out of the three volumes you mentioned?" Elder Ling asked curiously.
"Yes, here are additional copies to sell as well." Bai Shuying said while placing more copies on the table from her spatial ring.
Elder Ling collected everything into her spatial ring and looked at Bai Shuying for a moment.
"Did you hear about what occurred at the sect meeting?" Elder Ling asked.
"I did. My master told me I would need to win a duel against Elder Mo's disciple to get the secret realm token." Bai Shuying said.
Elder Ling tapped her finger on the wooden table anxiously and expressed worry on her face.
"Hehehe, thank you for your concern, but it will be fine." Bai Shuying said with confidence, feeling Elder Ling's worry.
Xue Ling was surprised by what Bai Shuying said, but calmed down seeing her confident smile.
Xue Ling was someone who only cared about money. She kept everyone at a distance due to being let down by someone whom she had pursued when she was young.
Unknown to Bai Shuying, Xue Ling read the book she submitted to be put on sale. Originally, a situation where a book was sold at the Task Hall would never have happened in the Yin-Yang Sect, as the Task Hall focused on mission assigning and exchange of goods. Xue Ling complied with Bai Shuying due to owing Hua Xiran, who allowed her to be the Elder in charge of the Task Hall and merge it with the Exchange Hall, which no longer exists anymore.
After reading Bai Shuying's book, she felt it resonate in her heart with a love she wanted to experience.
Well, it's all in the past, but I did enjoy reading about a what-if, even if it was fiction.
Xue Ling thought.
"Since you already know, here's a gift from me," Xue Ling said, taking out a long, straight double-edged sheathed sword from her spatial ring and handing it to Bai Shuying.
Bai Shuying looked at the sword with surprise and asked, "Why are you suddenly gifting me a sword?"
"Why not? I am an Elder of the sect, while you're a disciple?" Elder Ling said with an elderly smile.
Bai Shuying was surprised at Elder Ling's words, but smiled, remembering her grandmother always made a similar smile to her.
Most misunderstand Xue Ling due to the way she dresses like a wealthy woman adorned with jewels and her focus on money, but she is just a kind elder with her pursuits in life, which happen to be money.
"Thank you, Elder Ling!" Bai Shuying said with a bright smile, expressing her gratitude.
Bai Shuying placed the sword in her spatial ring and said farewell to Elder Ling.
I wonder if this is what it feels like to have a disciple or maybe a daughter?
Elder Ling thought as she stayed in the room.
If Bai Shuying knew her thoughts, she would have thought.
Why does everyone want to be my mother?!
…
Bai Shuying made her way to the Yin-Yang Sutra Pavilion, where she saw Elder Qin reading a book in his usual spot.
Hmph, let's see what trash Elder Qin is consuming today.
Bai Shuying thought not hiding her disdain for Elder Qin's taste in literature.
When Bai Shuying saw the book Elder Qin was reading, she felt as if she had slapped herself and became embarrassed.
Elder Qin noticed Bai Shuying and glanced at her.
"Hi, Elder Qin," Bai Shuying greeted with a bright smile, and then shot glances at the book in Elder Qin's hand.
"Cough, Shuying, are you here to read more books?" Elder Qin was embarrassed by reading this kind of work and hid the book behind his back.
"I am. Just wanted to greet you, bye Elder, sorry to disturb you," Bai Shuying walked to the left side, trying to suppress her giggles.
Elder Qin shook his head and looked around. He took out his book and started reading again.
"Come on, just express your love for each other already." Elder Qin murmured.
Bai Shuying returned the three jade slips she had taken before to the second floor and went back to the first floor.
Bai Shuying stared at the books, thinking.
I'm such a coward.
Bai Shuying was distracting herself to avoid meeting Elder Hua. Feeling ashamed of herself, she picked up books randomly and started to read them.
After a while of reading, Bai Shuying made a decision. Bai Shuying left the Yin-Yang Sutra Pavilion and walked towards Hua Qingyan's garden. She stood in front of the entrance to the pavilion where she and Elder Hua ate and chatted.
Hua Qingyan noticed Bai Shuying waiting outside, hesitating to enter, and watched her with her consciousness.
Hua Qingyan was also anxious at this moment. She felt that her poor handling of the situation had led her to hurt Bai Shuying.
I would have never expected her to be a hybrid after all, they don't usually live long.
Hua Qingyan thought with heartache as she looked at Bai Shuying.
Bai Shuying took a deep breath, mustering her courage, and entered with firm steps.
Seeing this, Hua Qingyan did not know whether to laugh or cry, thinking.
Why do I feel like a dangerous monster being challenged?!
Bai Shuying spotted Elder Hua in her usual position and walked in front of her. She looked straight at Elder Hua's emerald eyes while Elder Hua gulped nervously, being looked at by Bai Shuying's sky blue eyes.
Bai Shuying undid the anklet's suppression, her fox ears and tail sprouted, and she said, "I'm a hybrid, a half-fox, half-human."
Bai Shuying closed her eyes tightly, her heart pounding loudly in her chest.
Elder Hua was stunned at Bai Shuying's resolve that she hesitantly said, "Wh-why are you going so far to reveal so much to me?"
Elder Hua never expected Bai Shuying to directly tell her the truth. She expected her to gloss over it and return to how they were before.
Elder Hua could not understand why Bai Shuying would go so far and continued to say, "We only knew each other for barely two months. As an Elder of the sect, I am obligated to teach classes even if it weren't you, I would treat any disciple who took the course the same."
Elder Hua did not mean what she said, but spoke such harsh words because she wanted to understand Bai Shuying's intentions. Hua Qingyan held complicated emotions inside her heart and wanted to confirm certain things.
Hearing her words, Bai Shuying lowered her head, her heart in pain, but even so, she had to say it. She didn't want any more regrets. When her life was cut short, she regretted not seeing her grandparents or calling them, trapped in her little world of video games. While in this life, she regretted what happened to her parents. Even after she merged, her logical self told her it wasn't her fault, but she couldn't help but fall to her irrational thoughts of what if her father didn't see her fox features.
She understood it was better to speak than keep silent, it was better to regret after not before, so she decided. Clutching the sides of her pinkish white robes.
"My… f-father betrayed me, my… m-mother abandoned me, in this world I had nothing, I had no one, adrift and… alone. The first person to show me warmth was Meilin, the second person to show me care was my master, an-and the… third person was someone I met accidentally in a garden who shared the same interests and hobbies as me. Even in this large sect, she was always in the same place; she gave me peace and filled my loneliness. Even if she hates or is disgusted by me, that's fine, but I… wanted to tell her the truth."
It took Bai Shuying a lot of courage to open her wounds to Hua Qingyan, even if she was unsure of the outcome. Bai Shuying herself did not know what relationship she had with Hua Qingyan, but she just knew she did not want to lose her.
Hearing her story, Hua Qingyan's eyes trembled. She did not expect she meant so much to Bai Shuying. When she called Bai Shuying her daughter or when she cheered Hua Xiran to quickly solidify her relationship with Shuying, she was not serious, but apprehensive. Memories of the past always flashed in her mind as if a demon had attached itself to her, unwilling to let her go.
Hua Qingyan hid it well, but she could not get rid of it. The scar in her heart was from the betrayal of the person she loved the most.
When she spoke about Dao companions to Hua Xiran, she gave her an idealistic belief while she hid the bitterness in her heart. When she told Bai Shuying her story, she pretended it did not affect her. When she read Bai Shuying's book Love in the Ashes, she laughed at how absurdly idealistic it was.
When she accidentally found out Bai Shuying's secret, she felt a little betrayed, but chalked it up to her poor social skills.
Now in front of her was Bai Shuying with her scars and her pain, laying it bare in front of her. Hua Qingyan felt terrible inside that she had made her do this; her indecisiveness and selfishness led her to harm the person she cares about.
Tears streamed down Hua Qingyan's eyes, and she pulled Bai Shuying into her embrace and hugged her tightly. Bai Shuying, with her chin on Hua Qingyan's shoulder, eyes widened, but soon tears welled in her eyes, threatened to overflow, and spilled out, falling down her face onto Hua Qingyan's shoulder. She wrapped her arms around Hua Qingyan, clutching the back of Hua Qingyan's clothes.
In the garden filled with the beauty of flowers, two women, hugging, cried their hearts out.