Chapter 13: I’m the One Who’s the Fool

All those things that had once been reasons for Lin Qiyou’s progress suddenly became shrouded in suffocating and terrifying doubts.

She crouched down where she was, gasping for breath, and only after a long while did she stand up again.

What did Qin Shuang mean by what she said?

It must be because Qin Shuang caught me red-handed, so she was just babbling nonsense to confuse me, right?

It has to be!

Isn’t that obvious?

Qing Mu is my incompetent Death Warrior—unworthy of the title—and driven by lust, he even begged Father to find him a Dao Companion. Father, out of pity, agreed.

The silver bell was something Father asked him to give me, and he even claimed it was a birthday gift?

Isn’t that right?

“But, why can you control the silver bell?”

Lin Qiyou took out the silver bell she had been hiding at her chest. She herself had never been able to use it, but Qin Shuang could?

“I get it, Qing Mu must have taught you, right? Qing Mu also has a silver bell… I’m going to find Qing Mu now and take back the silver bell—that was a gift from Father to me. I’ll also expose your scandal, I…”

She spoke as she walked, lowering her head to murmur, then suddenly stopped herself.

No, if this keeps going, I’m only fooling myself, aren’t I?

There’s definitely something going on, definitely something!

Father, the Lin family is hiding something from me!

Lin Qiyou struck her forehead hard, then left the sect, heading toward the Lin family home.

She moved quietly, barely letting anyone notice her return. If the Lin family really had a problem, they would do everything to cover it up.

To investigate this, she had to start with Qing Mu’s origins.

Rumor said he was found—who was it that found him?

Lin Qiyou pondered again and again, deciding she had to get answers from the butler.

Her luck was good. She overheard the butler planning to leave the Lin family today on an errand. Seizing the moment, she ambushed him on the road, dragged him to a hidden place, pressing her sword against his neck without mercy, and demanded:

“Butler Liu, Lin Qiyou’s sword isn’t forgiving. You answer whatever I ask.”

Then, Lin Qiyou stabbed the butler’s thigh with her sword.

At first, the butler tried to plead, “Miss, please don’t!” but after the sting, he hurriedly nodded and begged for mercy.

“My Death Warrior Qing Mu—surely you know he was found, right?”

“Uh, Qing Mu? Miss, why do you ask this? I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you!”

The butler initially tried to evade the question, but when Lin Qiyou’s gaze turned cold, he quickly changed his tone.

“Speak!”

Under Lin Qiyou’s interrogation, the butler recited the same story she had heard all her life.

It was obviously unsatisfactory, so she pressed further.

The butler knelt before her, looking innocent, begging for mercy, saying this was the truth.

“I really don’t know what else to say. If Miss insists on killing me, then go ahead! Old Liu has been indebted to the Lin family all his life; even death can’t repay that!”

The butler’s expression was defiant to the end as he closed his eyes.

“Butler Liu, you’ve watched me grow up, so I really don’t want to do anything to you. But if you won’t talk… I think killing a servant won’t make Father do anything to me, right?”

Lin Qiyou pressed the sword against the butler’s neck, threatening.

The butler tilted his head back, exposing his neck.

“Hmm…”

Lin Qiyou’s expression grew cold.

She raised the sword high with both hands.

“Lin Qiyou, you truly are my good daughter,” a voice sounded from behind.

She lowered her sword and turned.

“Father, what exactly is going on with Qing Mu? You’re hiding something from me, aren’t you?”

Lin Qiyou stared at her father as he approached.

“I don’t understand what you mean. Qing Mu? What could I be hiding from you?”

The head of the Lin family walked past Lin Qiyou and helped the butler to his feet.

“You are hiding it from me! Qing Mu marrying someone else was your idea, wasn’t it? Am I right?”

“You… you know how I… I feel about him, that’s why you…”

“Daughter, you don’t understand.”

The head of the family cut her off, his face full of disappointment.

“Yes, I admit it. Qing Mu marrying another was my idea. I didn’t want you and Qing Mu…”

“Why! Because he’s a servant? Because he’s a Death Warrior? Because his background is not strong enough for an arranged marriage?”

Lin Qiyou questioned her father fiercely—rarely had she ever been so angry at him.

The head of the family’s eyes widened in surprise.

He shook his head. “Don’t say that. Do you know why I treated him so well?

Though he is nominally a Death Warrior, everything he has received has been on par with what you were given. Haven’t you noticed?”

Lin Qiyou asked, “Why?”

“Because he is the child of a deceased friend of mine. I promised to raise him.

At first, I was very willing to let you two be together.

But did you ever notice that every so often, he mysteriously appeared more frequently in your mind?

You couldn’t shake him off; you couldn’t dispel him!”

After the family head finished speaking, Lin Qiyou suddenly froze.

Seeing her expression, he was somewhat satisfied and continued:

“It’s simple. Qing Mu cast a spell on you. But I didn’t want to confront him directly, so I just used the matter of him marrying another as a reminder—to keep him away from you.

I cannot bear to have a despicable son-in-law. I am an upright man; who in all the world does not know that?”

“Ho-how is that possible?”

Lin Qiyou shook her head in disbelief, staring at her father.

“Everyone in this world would hurt you, but your father will not.”

Her father stepped forward, reaching out to stroke Lin Qiyou’s hair.

“Father, I’m sorry…”

Lin Qiyou’s face was full of shame. She hugged her father and cried.

Then she took out the silver bell from her arms.

“Father, the silver bell you gave Qiyou back then, she really likes it!”

“Yes, as long as you like it.”

Her father smiled.

“Well then, Father, I’m going back now. I have to return to the sect.”

After speaking, Lin Qiyou bowed to the butler and said, “Butler Liu, Qiyou was wrong,” before leaving.

After Lin Qiyou’s figure disappeared, the butler spoke up:

“Master, if it weren’t for you, Old Liu would really have died at Miss’s hands.”

“Thank you for your effort.”

The family head returned a grateful smile, then muttered:

“How did I ever think that Qiyou’s feelings for that boy were just the false emotions caused by the spirit vein transplant?”

Not long ago, doctors had discovered that transplanting a spirit vein would create a strange affection between Lin Qiyou and Qing Mu.

However, after Qing Mu’s death, that false emotion would disappear.

“My wife is already pregnant, and the child’s innate constitution far exceeds Qiyou’s, but the spirit vein is also somewhat shallow. If Qing Mu’s spirit vein were transplanted into our second child…”

At this, the head of the Lin family shook his head, deeming it unnecessary.

For now, Lin Qiyou’s rebellion was all just pretense. In time, it would pass.

…

……

Sitting atop the spirit beast, Lin Qiyou gripped the silver bell tightly in her hand, her eyes full of disappointment toward the Lin family and her own father.

How ridiculous.

It turned out I had been deceived all along.

I almost believed it.

If it weren’t for Qin Shuang’s silver bell, I probably would have been truly fooled by Father.

“So… all this time, was I the one who misunderstood Qing Mu…”

I’m the real fool…