Red Candle Shadows Stir; Spiritual Sense Connection; Becoming Herself

The candlelight flickered red.

Ji Xueruo's fingertips traced the ink spreading across the letter, the candlelight casting flickering shadows on the words.

"It must be the chill of the night that keeps the plum blossoms awake."

I think of the plum blossoms, and they think of me; we are deeply in love.

"Upon looking, the clear ice filled the jade bottle..."

Whenever she read it, the young girl couldn't help but silently recite the words.

The edges of the letter were slightly curled, as if it had been repeatedly rubbed hundreds of times.

She sighed softly and looked away.

A sprig of White Plum Blossom blossoms was placed in a celadon vase on the desk, the tips of the petals covered with frost flowers that she had previously conjured with Law Technique.

She always focused on practicality in her Technique Method, and she even went out of her way to learn this little trick, just to preserve the first White Plum Blossom to bloom in the snake clan.

Although red plum blossoms are beautiful, in her eyes they are ultimately not as beautiful as White Plum Blossom. However, the plum blossoms planted in the clan are mostly of different colors, because the sisters in the clan are numerous and naturally do not like the monotonous white. Only near her own palace are there more White Plum Blossom.

She has always been like this, extremely restrained in her own selfishness, and always seemed to put her people above herself.

Just as she was originally a white snake, she liked to wear black. Actually, it wasn't that she liked black at first, but Granny Liu once said unintentionally to her, who had just taken over as clan leader, "The Eldest Young Lady really looks like a lady from a noble family when she wears white."

But how could a clan leader possess the demeanor of a lady from a prominent family? So she changed to wearing black, and indeed, her demeanor became more profound. Even with her slightly childish face, one could still see the majesty befitting a clan leader. From then on, she only wore black, and after wearing it so many times, she got used to it and gradually came to like black.

She had fantasized: if the snake clan were still at its peak, if she weren't the clan leader, would she not like this lifeless black? Could she, like the legendary Wangshu Fairy, spend her days in pure white, writing poetry and painting, a carefree and elegant Fairy?

Unfortunately, she couldn't be that kind of Fairy. She had to be a young clan leader dressed in black, calm and composed, and never smile, in order to match the responsibility on her shoulders and be able to both keep her clansmen in check and keep outsiders in check.

"Clatter".

The tears of the candle splashed on the word "Guan Qing", burning small black holes.

Ji Xueruo snapped back to her senses and quickly put away the letter, carefully wiping it with her fingertips, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make up for the burn marks on the paper.

She was filled with regret, biting her lower lip, staring blankly at the blurred words "Guan Qing" (meaning "concern" or "affection").

For some reason, through this scorched hole, she seemed to see You Su standing at the entrance of the council hall earlier that day—his face was dejected, and when he smiled bitterly at her as he said goodbye, the corner of his eye was red.

She shouldn't have turned him away so coldly; he must have been very upset...

But the clan leader's token weighed on her shoulder, and the blood feud of her mother was still etched in her heart... These shackles became her armor, and only when facing You Su would she reveal her weaknesses.

Her vision gradually blurred, and she seemed to have returned to the magnificent Jade Ring Pool.

"What if it takes a very long time? Will Xue Ruo get annoyed?"

"How long? Until the Seas Dry Up and Rocks Crumble and the rocks crumble, until the heavens and earth grow old? You shouldn't be asking me that; you should be asking whether the illusion of Tibet can last until that day..."

This was almost the most candid love confession she had ever uttered to him. Having been reincarnated a thousand times in the illusion of Tibet, she no longer needed to consider anything else; the boy before her was enough. In that instant, she even wished that illusion would last forever.

The sound of waves crashing against the South China Sea Immortal Island echoed in her ears. It was the first time he had revealed his terrifying side to her—he had drained the cultivation of an Evil Cultivator. Yet, she was not frightened by him. The young man smiled and said to her:

"Anyway, you're already an accomplice, and you can't escape responsibility."

"I was forced to do this!"

"Even if you're forced, you're still an accomplice. In short, you're tied to me for life."

This statement sounded like a childish, unreasonable outburst, yet her heart was pounding at the time.

She had to admit, she was truly smitten.

But You Su's disappearance later made her realize that nothing lasts forever. Rather than suffering from loss, it's better not to have had it in the first place.

You Su's safe return filled her with uncontrollable joy, but it also made her determined to return You Su to her sister.

Let her encounter with You Su be a mistake, and let it all dissipate along with the illusion of the Tibetan land and the crumbling fairy island.

He doesn't lack his own love interest, his sister can share more of his lover's affections, and she can devote herself wholeheartedly to her career.

This is the best outcome for everyone; the only challenge might be the current growing pains.

However, forgetting someone is not an easy thing, because her heart is also made of flesh and blood.

But if you continue to distance yourself from him for a while, he will give up and you will truly ignore his existence.

With this in mind, she steeled herself and placed the stack of letters over the candlelight.

But seeing that the letters she always cherished were stained with candle smoke, she hurriedly put them back.

Fine... If I can't bear to part with it, then I'll just hide it even deeper...

Anyway, she's gotten used to not having her own selfish motives.

"Don't come here and get yourself all bruised and battered again..."

She murmured softly, but as soon as she finished speaking, a tingling sensation shot from her tailbone to the top of her head.

Ji Xueruo gripped the corner of the table tightly. Beneath the loose, dark gauze, several white snake scales stood up one by one along her spine.

It's Lingruo!

This realization made her freeze. The bond of Spiritual Sense Connection burned within her blood. Only perceptions that could shake the soul could be transmitted through spiritual connection.

The twin sisters' sensuality, like intertwined vines under the moonlight, was now pouring all the tenderness from nearby into her body—

You Su's fingertips brushed against the blue scales behind Ji Lingruo's ear. His dark hair fell down, obscuring their intertwined eyebrows and eyes. The low panting that escaped his throat was mixed with hot breath, like a ball of fire exploding in Ji Lingruo's heart.

"Don't want..."

At this moment Ji Xueruo only wanted to sever this blood-related connection, her fingertips digging deep crescent-shaped marks into the table.

The closest bond between the twins now seemed to have become her most shameful 'instrument of torture,' forcing her to feel the trembling as her sister and her beloved were skin to skin, making all her previous determination and righteousness seem like a joke.

The celadon vase clattered over, the White Plum Blossom fell into the candlestick, and the flame shot up, making Ji Xueruo's ear tips turn bright red.

She had clearly decided to forget him, but with this relationship involved, how could she possibly forget him?

"Shameless..." she murmured, biting her lower lip, a bitter feeling welling up inside her.

But he and his sister were mutually in love, and their long-awaited reunion naturally ignited a passionate flame. So what was there for her to feel bitter about?

Was she annoyed that he had been rebuffed by her during the day and then sought comfort at her sister's place at night? Or was she sour that this happiness would be enjoyed only by her sister, leaving her only to hide in her room and feel lonely?

"Stop..." she whispered to the void, but it was unclear whether she was pleading with her sister and You Su, or with herself.

A surge of inspiration overwhelmed her, and she even considered giving up.

Since resistance is futile, why not choose to accept it as before?

If I can't forget him, so be it... Anyway, he'll never know about this relationship, and the two of us will just become strangers afterward.

But in the stillness of the night, she could use this to conjure up a beautiful dream of herself and him in love.

Suddenly, she felt that this bond wasn't so unpleasant after all. On the contrary, it was the greatest gift God had given her—allowing her to be a selfless and good clan leader and sister on the surface, while secretly enjoying the pleasure of satisfying her own desires.

She heard her heart pounding like a drum, because she was surprised to find that after having this thought, she was trying to discern how much of the burning sensation in her heart was her sister's own, and how much was brought by You Su...

The candlelight flickered in the night wind, its glow rising and falling like boiling water. The White Plum Blossom, burned by the candlelight, even its fragrance became hot and sticky.

Ji Xueruo was in a daze, as if she saw You Su right beside her, softly calling her name.

"You—" She looked up abruptly, only to see You Su standing behind the gauze curtain, her dark hair falling like the night, her eyes reflecting the tips of her reddened ears.

"I apologize for disturbing you so late at night, Miss Xue Ruo." The young man stepped through the gauze curtain and slowly approached, holding a White Plum Blossom that he had picked from who-knows-where in his hands.

"How dare you!" She suppressed the tremor in her throat. "This is the clan leader's palace. How dare you trespass in the middle of the night!"

Before he could finish speaking, You Su had already moved closer, but not towards the girl.

"No! Don't touch!" The tingling sensation in Ji Xueruo's mind made her unable to move, and she could only watch helplessly as You Su touched her 'private desire'.

The boy carefully unfolded the letter paper folded on the table, and unconsciously read aloud the familiar poems and verses on it.

Each word seemed to add fuel to the fire, making Ji Xueruo's face burn even brighter than candlelight.

"So Miss Xue Ruo kept it all along." You Su put down the letter and smiled at her. "I thought I was the only one who would keep letters."

"I'm going to call for help." Ji Xueruo turned her face slightly away, her tone forced and distant.

"Shout it out," You Su whispered in her ear, "I want the entire snake clan to know more than you do that their chieftain is a woman I could never abandon."

Hearing her own rapid breathing, Ji Xueruo still mustered her strength to push him away, "I am the patriarch of the snake clan, Lingruo's older sister, you... you stay away from me!"

"Why don't you say you're Ji Xueruo?" You Su grabbed her hand that was pressed against his chest. "But in my eyes, you're just Ji Xueruo. You're the Xue Ruo who spent a thousand reincarnations with me in the Hidden Land Illusion, the Xue Ruo who survived back-to-back with me on the South Sea Immortal Island. Why don't you give yourself the chance to be Ji Xueruo?"

The sensation suddenly intensified, Ji Xueruo felt as if she no longer had the strength to speak.

"Lingruo is waiting for you." She finally found her voice, but it trembled with a sound even she herself didn't recognize. "She is the one who is with you—"

"I know." You Su suddenly released her grip and took a half step back.

Ji Xueruo the tide of emotions within her did not recede.

"It was my junior sister who helped me find you. I owe you all a lot, but at this moment, helping Miss Xue Ruo find herself is the most important thing. That's what my junior sister told me too."

He spoke with certainty, then took two more steps forward, getting even closer than before.

Upon Ji Xueruo subconsciously clenched her jade-like fingers. Of course, she knew that without her sister's help and instruction, he would never dare to break into her palace at night.

Her younger sister even told him the secret of their Spiritual Sense Connection... Did she know that once this greedy boy knew this secret, he would never let them go? Yet she still used this special bond to help him...

Even now, this constant surge of divine inspiration originates from Lingruo, who is alone in her empty chamber. She is actually willing to let her beloved leave during their most intimate moment, to go to another woman's palace.

Simply because... that woman was her older sister...

Ji Xueruo suddenly felt a lump in her throat. This younger sister wasn't someone who would always hide under her wing. She still felt guilty for taking her sister's Demon Core, but her sister only wanted to share her best with her older sister.

"Xue Ruo, you don't need to always compromise yourself to please others. You can have your own joys and sorrows. Not only Lingruo, but your people think the same way. They see your hardships and they pity you just the same. Only you don't pity yourself."

You Su suddenly knelt down on one knee in front of her, like the most devout believer.

"I don't want you to suffer like this, I want to help you. I know you're resistant to me because you're afraid I'll leave without saying goodbye like last time. Even though I have many reasons, I don't want to explain because I know you're truly heartbroken. But please believe me, I will never disappear from your side without a reason again. Don't be so cold to me, I'm really heartbroken today..."

"Stop, stop talking..."

Ji Xueruo suddenly covered You Su's lips with her hand, feeling that these long and tedious words were even more scorching to her heart than the divine sensation within her body.

"I... I understand... I'll let you help me... You two just reunited, you should go and keep her company first, I... I'm so confused..."

Ji Xueruo was panting heavily, secretly annoyed that Lingruo when amusing herself. Did she really want her sister to become completely at the mercy of this young man?

"Didn't we just reunite?" You Su took her hand and gently pulled it, and the soft, boneless girl lay in his arms.

The candlelight flickered, casting a warm glow on You Su's eyebrows and the corners of her eyes.

"I won't leave. I won't go anywhere tonight, until you choose to be Ji Xueruo."

Looking at the young man's face so close to hers, Ji Xueruo felt that he was the inescapable fate of her life.

Before he appeared, she had built a high wall in her heart, but the defenses she thought were impenetrable were suddenly riddled with holes.

"If you dare to betray Lingruo, I will haunt you even as a ghost."

Though her words were cold and harsh, she lay helplessly in the boy's arms, as if she had given up struggling.

Even his younger sister offered to help him, making his biggest reason for convincing himself completely unconvincing.

"I promised my junior sister, and I won't let you down."

The boy cradled her head and gently pecked her lips.

She hid her blushing face, still unaccustomed to kissing the boy. Even in the illusion, her intimacy with You Su could be described as 'having ulterior motives,' and she had been deceiving herself with this excuse.

But from that kiss, which was purely out of love, she could no longer deceive herself.

Beneath the dark gauze robe, white snake scales lay flat and obedient, like snowflakes touched by a spring breeze.

In the searing pain of her broken defenses, she suddenly hated her honest body.