Waking up in a daze once again, Dong Yun’er stared at the ceiling. She raised her hand and traced the lines on her palm, unsure of what she should be doing.
After a few seconds of staring, she sat up with stiff movements. She washed up briefly, dressed herself, and walked out.
The world was still shrouded in gloom as Dong Yun’er practiced her swordplay with rigid motions for a long time. It was only when a sliver of white appeared on the horizon that she finally sheathed her blade.
Through the window paper, Dong Yun’er could clearly see the silhouette of Lin Huanhuan sitting cross-legged. “The Lady is already up.”
Walking into the kitchen, she began to cook. However, she didn’t know what was wrong with her today. Several times in a row, she only snapped out of her trance when she realized the vegetables were burning.
“My current state is very wrong. I have to fix this quickly, or something will definitely go wrong.”
She muttered this to herself, though she knew full well in her heart that her restlessness was entirely caused by her constant fear of being driven away.
“If I want to return to normal, it’s actually very simple. As long as I dispel the concerns in my heart and stop living in fear, I’ll be fine. But how is that possible?”
Dong Yun’er gave a helpless smile and spent some more time making two dishes. Because of her poor condition, the flavor was much worse than usual, but there was nothing she could do about it. she could only carry them out first.
Entering the room, she saw that Lin Huanhuan had already finished her cultivation. Wrapped in a snow fox fur coat, the Lady propped up her chin with her hand and gazed blankly out the window. The morning light filtered through the window frames and rested upon her hair, making her whole being shimmer with a radiant beauty.
Dong Yun’er stood dazed for a moment, with only one thought left in her mind: ‘So beautiful. The Lady is truly so beautiful.’
Lin Huanhuan turned her head. When she saw her, a flash of panic crossed her eyes, though she quickly steadied herself. She said with a hint of displeasure, “What took you so long? I’ve been waiting here for ages. Did you fall asleep?”
Dong Yun’er’s eyes dimmed. She had caught Lin Huanhuan’s reaction just now—especially that look of panic—which made her heart ache incredibly.
She thought to herself, ‘As expected. It truly is the prelude to driving me away. Otherwise, why would the Lady show such an expression? Sigh…’
While she lamented in her heart, she still forced a smile on her face. She did her best to restrain her emotions and said with a smile, “A little mishap occurred while I was cooking today, which delayed me for a bit. Please do not be offended, Lady.”
Lin Huanhuan narrowed her eyes and looked at her. Seeing the slight exhaustion between her brows and her somewhat listless aura, she asked with concern, “What’s wrong? You don’t look like you’re in a good state. Is something the matter?”
Dong Yun’er’s heart warmed slightly, and she shook her head gently. “It’s nothing. I just ran into some difficult problems during cultivation recently and can’t quite figure them out. I should be fine after a while.”
Lin Huanhuan nodded, not doubting her.
The path of cultivation was long and fraught with obstacles. It was normal to encounter difficulties. This was a stage every cultivator went through. Most could be resolved; it was just a matter of how much time it took.
Worried that Dong Yun’er would stubbornly run into a wall, Lin Huanhuan offered her concern. “If you really can’t solve it, you can tell me. I still have some ways to help.”
Dong Yun’er’s heart trembled, and she nodded. “Understood, Lady. If there’s truly an issue, I will speak up.”
Despite saying that, she intended to stall for as long as possible. One day at a time.
During the meal, Dong Yun’er watched Lin Huanhuan while she ate. Seeing that the Lady had no reaction, she sighed inwardly. ‘The Lady is indeed very conflicted. She didn’t even notice that the food isn’t that tasty. Normally, she would have been unhappy long ago.’
‘However, this also reflects that the Lady isn’t feeling good in her heart either. That makes sense; after all, our feelings for each other are deep.’
After finishing the meal, Dong Yun’er packed everything up and walked out.
—
Lin Huanhuan watched her departing back, her gaze somewhat dazed. She sighed and whispered, “I didn’t expect the events of that year to be like this… I actually forgot. Yun’er still doesn’t know. If she finds out, she will probably be devastated. When should I tell her?”
“Even if I don’t say anything, this matter won’t be hidden for long. In a few days…”
—
Dong Yun’er walked outside the small courtyard and stared blankly at the osmanthus tree. The osmanthus flowers were in bloom, and with a light breeze, the fragrance filled the entire yard.
She thought back to a few years ago when she and Lin Huanhuan had just joined the Lingyun Sect and moved here.
Lin Huanhuan had told her with a giggle, “This yard has nothing; it’s so empty. Let’s plant an osmanthus tree here. When the tree grows up, we’ll be grown up too.”
Having said that, Lin Huanhuan didn’t want to wait that long. she went straight home, dug up the tree the Family Head had planted, and brought it back to plant it here. The Family Head was so furious he threatened to teach her a lesson. Lin Huanhuan was so scared she didn’t dare go home for several months. It wasn’t until Lin Shuangye personally told her that the Family Head no longer cared that she dared to return home to continue her mischief.
The next year, the osmanthus tree bloomed. She and Lin Huanhuan played and frolicked in the courtyard. When they were tired, they would sit directly against the tree, not caring about the dirt. They ate osmanthus cakes while talking about interesting things.
Everything had been so happy then, devoid of any worries.
The past felt as if it were right before her eyes. When the wind blew, the fragrant osmanthus scent drifted into her nose, pulling Dong Yun’er back to reality.
“Without realizing it, has so much time passed? Can everything from the past truly be recaptured?”
Dong Yun’er’s face showed bitterness. She found a stool in the courtyard and sat down, staring off into space.
Suddenly, those dark thoughts flashed through her mind again: ‘Anyway, since the Lady is going to drive me away, why don’t I just imprison her? If I do that, we can never be separated.’
‘The Lady clearly promised me before that she wouldn’t drive me away, but now she’s going back on her word. So, I can’t be blamed. She was the one who broke the oath first; I haven’t done anything wrong.’
‘No—I can’t do this. I absolutely cannot!’
Dong Yun’er shook her head violently. With great effort, she finally suppressed those dark ideas. However, she understood in her heart that these thoughts had already taken root. They could not be dispersed; they would grow wildly at any time and completely interfere with her.
Dong Yun’er stood up without a word. Her heart was a swirl of emotions. Gritting her teeth, she made a decision.
“Forget it. If the Lady wants to drive me away, I will leave immediately. It’s better than staying here and pestering her. Making her unhappy is one thing, but if I can’t control myself and do something bad to her, that would be truly terrible. It would definitely break her heart.”
“My talent is insufficient. If I leave the Lin family, I might as well quit the sect too. I’ll go to the Borderlands to seek my luck. That’s a chaotic area; perhaps I can find an opportunity. I’ll return after becoming a powerhouse in the future. If I die there, it wouldn’t be a bad ending either.”